Operation Mojave: Abrogation
by DisclosedBarrel
Summary: Sequel to Consternation. Demigod & Dragonborn versus the last Horseman of the Apocalypse. Conquest. Legate Lanius was all that's left... During the final moments of the battle, Legate Lanius presses his attack on the N.C.R., starting with David and his team. This grudge match has been long overdue for over two hundred years. Ashford, Romanov, Savage, Richtofen... all must DIE!
1. Lyannah VS Legate Lanius

The expression Redfield saw in their eyes had a sense of hopelessness, they were overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of the Legion alone; they were beyond saving by all accounts. The poor souls were barely out of their late twenties and thirties. That was war for you; where the old and bitter use the young and stupid into kitchen sinks, the outcome is always a gamble that's never worth the price. War was hell. Redfield and David knew that.

Down the tiny ledge was a medium personal tent, with a lot of open space around the left and right sides. A hillside surrounded the entire camp; it almost made a bowl shape, but with one way in and no way out.

On the flat land below, were the remains of a smaller gate. Down there, there was what seemed to be a literal bloodbath, giblets, chunks and clumps flooded the field outside the gate; they were all that's left of at least eight Legionaries. With surgical sharpness, accuracy and crude brutality the sight was too diabolic to handle. William or Lyannah's doing, or else the N.C.R. AND the Legion has a serious butcher to watch out for.

Redfield was insulted by the fact the camp was quiet; there was no activity left, even Boone couldn't spot anything. It was too suspicious to let any guard down. David kept tabs on the front gate for reinforcements while everyone else dispersed to look for William and to kill anything that isn't.

After ten or so minutes into searching for any signs of life, it was Cass who found William, following a trail of fresh blood off the camp's mainland in a ditch off-road, well-hidden safely. William was in a state. He was bleeding from his mouth and the open wounds across his chest, body was battered, and the pained expression he had on his face was descending slowly into death's very own.

Cass had to force him upright without spilling too much blood. William groaned and held the lacerations on his chest from rupturing. Blood leaked through the gaps in his armour and formed a sizeable pool. He also couldn't move.

"Six? What happened?! Where is everybody?" she asked, with Redfield coming over to them both.

"We found the camp… empty… Inside… the Legate was waiting for us..." William muttered, with his eyes closed, mimicking death. "Can't feel… my chest… my legs…"

"Six, where is Lyannah!?" Redfield said, with a focusing glare to Will, shaking sense into him. He needs to stay awake.

Just barely opening one of his eyes to see Cass holding him upright. That was the second time she actually touched him. William was fading in and out of consciousness, still spoke best he could through his clenched teeth. "The Legate… The Legate took her away," William muttered, with deflating breath before fading to black, eyes closed and all.

Down the tiny ledge was a medium personal tent, with a lot of open space around the left and right sides. The entire camp was surrounded by the hillside; it almost made a bowl shape, but with one way in and no way out.

"William..." Redfield exclaimed, seeing Cass wonder on his prospect and letting him down on his back limply.

"He's unconscious," she said. "Thank God."

Redfield stood up and walked in the other direction, without batting an eye or care to anything but the ground. "I need to find Lyannah before things get out of control..." he muttered, to himself, with Cass standing behind him, raising an eyebrow.

"Why is she so God-damn important?" Cass questioned, with folded arms. "She seems to be a hot topic…"

"I have my reasons to keep her safe..." He shrugged, with a deep sigh, trying to honest best he could but rested his eyes away. "Let's say her life is relevant to my work… If the theories about her are true."

Cass was feeling sick to her gut from being left out from something, or it was the fact that she's been running dry for the last few days. For some odd reason, she lost the will to drink. But her mixed feelings about something that she just couldn't shake out of her head was getting on her nerves. "No disrespect General, something is going on here, and I don't like it. Is that right dad?" she said, delicately placing her hand on his shoulder.

"You know..."

Before Redfield could even respond to Cass' accusations, David and Boone rushed on over to him and Cass armed and ready for action. "Sir. We have Legion movement from around the camp. We need to mobilise!" Boone stated, with a blank glare. "Any sign of the Legate?"

Redfield let off a deep sigh and stood unprepared with his hands folded, holding back some frustration from the current oddities he went on to flail his arms about. "We had solid leads that he would be here. This is an outrage!" he declared. "Murdering my men and fucking off is below him."

"Would it be possible that the Legion posted false information somehow? Boone asked, panning to David and back to Redfield.

"Would they really go this far just to rub us out?"

"They would. They've been trying to kill me for years now." Redfield chuckled, lightly to himself. "They attacked the war room; there's no coincidence." He regrouped the team with Veronica who was milling around at the time. With a defined stance, he looked around the camp to see nothing happening. "The Legate isn't even here," he growled, using his Pip-Boy and still sounded agitated. "You four search for any survivors!" He threw his arm out as an order. "If you find Lyannah, bring her to me!"

With everyone, excluding Redfield, searching for Lyannah, Redfield radioed Moore at Hoover Dam for a status update. Apparently, everything was just fine, and all the Legion activity at the Dam was thinning out in time. Redfield was furious by the highest order when nothing seemed to add up. The camp was empty, and the bodies of his men were all still warm. The Legate was toying with him.

David strayed from the main gate; there was nothing out of the ordinary there. He picked up the topic of Lyannah quickly and bothered Redfield once more with great concern and wonder. "Why do you care so much about this woman? And where's William at?"

After a frustrated growl, Redfield peeked back at David over his shoulder, barely twisting his body to dignify him back. "He's wounded but stable, Lyannah's MIA," he grumbled, with a scoff, turning around and facing David. "Apart from needing capable people like them Lyannah is important for something I'm trying to orchestrate. What went wrong? Why did they overextend?"

David was almost offended with Redfield's remark and confronted him with his finger against his chest. He was still learning. "Excuse me? That is just plain out of order," he spat at Redfield. "Lyannah and Will just strolled off on their own."

Redfield shook his head. "Deserted because of your take on leadership, failed to keep them in line."

David threw his arms in the air with irritation. "I cannot believe you're giving me this criticism."

Redfield let out another heated sigh, rubbing his head in the hope of ridding his conflicted feelings. "You should have been less of a friend and more of a leader; you're their captain."

David dropped his Avenger at his feet and popped off his helmet. He glared sarcastically at Redfield. "Here we go, wise words from the Chief Wesker. You can't just boss people around like that; these people aren't machines! You have no idea what a leader is anymore, do you?"

Redfield stood closer to David's face provocatively. "That's bullshit, and you know it."

While Boone, Cass and Veronica came on over, David picked up his Avenger and stretched his legs, eager to leave the argument. "If you care so much about Lyannah you should just go fuck her and get it over with. I'm going to find the Legate." David puts his helmet back on and starts to move.

David was almost about to leave but Redfield stopped him in his tracks, his attitude and tone of voice went sour. "I don't like your tone of voice."

David shrugged his shoulders and scoffed. "For someone devoted to humanity, you surely don't show as much as you used to. Oh, how the mighty sure has fallen-"

At that moment tension skyrocketed, for a split second, it felt as if Redfield was going to strangle David. He settled by just pushing him to the ground on his back, alarming the team from his offended nature. No one saw this side of him before. "You have NO IDEA what I have sacrificed for this world! Nothing is as simple as you pretend it to be!"

"I'm not pretending. You becoming a Demigod gave us nothing but trouble!" David quickly replied, standing back on his feet. "The longer I live, the more I realise that your actions were the problems in the first place! Where were you when I was eight? What when you left mom that time. Or giving me cardiac arrest?!" Redfield held his tongue. "A normal dad is obviously too much to ask for! No. You're always hiding away, _working_."

Redfield grew less concerned and more furious, stepping closer to David's face. Veronica came in between them and tried to keep them from going at each other's throats. There was so much heat between the two.

"I had six mouths to feed and there was no way in hell law enforcement would pay all the bills."

"Come on guys; we got a battle to win," she pleaded, quickly panning to Redfield with a focusing glare. "You're a Demigod?!"

"Yeah, yeah, I was a Demigod. Stop the bloody presses." Redfield folded his arms in displeasure. "You've been saving this conversation for a long time haven't you?"

David had no real way to answer Redfield; he knew he was right, though. From the fact he was dead for most of his childhood, Redfield was always thinking without a full deck that mostly alienated him and his other siblings. Sometimes too good for his wellbeing.

From high up on the hill behind the Legate's tent, was Lanius standing on the ledge, looking down on Redfield's and David's group provoking his superior stance. From the height he stood, Lanius had to throw his voice afar, to be heard across the entire camp, sarcastic it may be. "General Redfield! I've been expecting you!" Lanius chuckled, folding his arms behind his back, pacing on the ledge. "You certainly came a long way to get your party killed didn't you?!"

"Legate Lanius! The man of the hour! I knew you weren't the one to disappoint!" Redfield barked disdainfully, straying away from the group, stepping up to Lanius. "You know how to make an entrance!"

Lanius laughed morbidly in response to Redfield's comments. Still, in his scarily charismatic tone, he went on and on. "I learned from the best! But we're not here to chat, are we!? We're here to fight for power and supremacy!" he boasted, extending his arm. "You five will die like the subordinates you are, like the very ones you sent here!"

"Where's Lyannah, Lanius?!" Redfield cried.

"She's with me! That woman will be my ascension into history as its liberator!" Lanius claimed, clutching his fist. "Now... make peace with your Gods and die!"

Immediately after Lanius finished his tiresome boasting and condescending attitude, the camp's gate closed shut, breaking the awkward silence. Legionnaires and Centurions began to surround Redfield's group at recorded speed. From the hills, the gate and the ranges around the entire camp. The five was boxed into a trap. There was no way out. With automatic weapons and rifles, the Legionaries all around the five were here to kill and nothing more.

With modest fear and an uncomfortable attitude, David slowly inched his way to the Avenger It was waiting for him on the ground. "Dad… Just so you know, if we all die out here, I'll never forgive you."

Redfield noted David's remark. "If that's the case I'll buy the first round in hell, Son."

Cass choked. "I'll drink to that."

In an instant, everyone excluding Lanius readied their weapons and opened fire. Streams of lead lit up the entire camp, with the Legion dropping like flies, but the ones on the hillsides having the upper hand. They weren't torn apart so easily. The sight of the blood, cries and gunfire almost brought a tear to Lanius' eye, reminding him of his youth. Such a nostalgic moment that he had to stand proudly and take a minute to relax and absorb the moment.

A bloody, enraged Lyannah found Lanius, still stood at the ledge like an idiot. An idiot that would be caught watching something amusing until his uncomfortable defeat. All the odds weren't in her favour, but she was ready for a rematch and cared for nothing else. "LANIUS!" she cried.

He didn't even care, he showed no signs of facing her, and he was too high and mighty. "How did a weakling like you break free? Doesn't matter," he politely said, finally turning around to face her. "You're hardly a threat to me, woman. I'll save you some trouble if you just surrender. Otherwise a short fight will be in order."

She snorted to his snide overconfidence and narrowed her eyes, planning her first move. "No! That would be boring. I beat you once, and I can do it again."

"Only because you were on psycho, you sneaky little bitch," he sharply corrected, cracking his knuckles, stepping closer to her. "Unlike you, I don't need drugs to win a fight. Tell you what. I'll go easy on you again, just to teach you a lesson. Later when we get to work is another story…"

 _I need to get my sword back if I'm gonna kill this fucker, she thought._

Lanius was the one to throw punches at Lyannah first, powerful hooks, one after another. Lyannah kept out of his way and reached him with her strong kicks and flexibility in doing so. Even if her kicks were not potent enough to even interrupt his volley of powerful hooks, they were consistent and well-timed outside her own attacks.

Now and then Lyannah would deliver a kick, strong enough to stagger Lanius, mostly being straight kicks and not the sweeping ones of her preference. In an open opportunity, she was able to catch one of Lanius' meaty fists to allow her to roll over him swiftly to then strike him in the stomach with a quick twist of her waist.

"You fight well, child, apparently," he muttered, throws a right jab at Lyannah's face, scraping her chin.

Lyannah steps away from Lanius at every chance she had while she threw jabs at him like there was no tomorrow, winding him and nearly interrupting his attacks. A reverse roundhouse kick to his face tumbled his aim away after a little volley of jabs while he was reeling.

Lanius recuperated faster than she had anticipated, he threw a left straight jab long before he had her locked in her sight. This strike of his landed upon her chest and sent her to the dirt.

She spat blood and stood up, snarling in a fury. "He's sturdier than before. No matter, I just need to knock him down." She spits again and feels around her bleeding gut wound. It was still fresh from their last encounter when she went all out because of psycho William had given her prior.

"Oh my, you seem to be hurt again," he said statistically, walking to Lyannah. "I can make it all go away."

"He's tougher than last time... Or I'm weaker..." Lanius came at Lyannah with a menacing glare, she had no time to waste, and one powerful strike could end her quickly. With stalwart determination, she drew in a sharp breath and shouted, "WULD!"

In speed ticking faster than instantaneous, Lyannah seemingly teleported behind Lanius, leaving him ever so confused. She was there in front of him, on her knees. Then nothing. Then she came. She was able to charge at him and leap at his face, kneeing his chin. With the strength of ten men, she was able to push him right off his feet and into the dirt.

A modest flourish and landing, Lyannah took a breather, giving Lanius time to regain his stance. "Nearly there," she breathed, wiping away the dry blood from her mouth - in which was distracting her - drawing in more breath. "FUS RO DAH!" she shouted.

A shockwave of unrelenting force thundered through the air and the wind. Despite the immense display, it barely tickled Lanius, pissing him off more than actually helping, not moving him an inch. Why should he? Lanius was more than a man. From his heavy metal armour and his towering height of nearly seven feet to Lyannah's five and a half, he stood over anyone smaller than him. Or at least looked like he did. Metaphorically and figuratively.

Still, on the outside, Lanius was just a tall, well-built warrior of a man, no different than the hundreds she killed back in Skyrim. What's his secret? Why won't he yield? Slain Alduin. Slain Miraak. Slain Harkon Even her admitted equal Deena. Those monsters fell before her. Lanius... no. He must fall like the others. Her reputation and life were at stake.

"This is inconceivable! How are you still standing?!" she muttered with an irritated scowl, wiping the blood from her mouth and face - which still irritated her. "I killed aplenty of men… How is this possible?!"

"There is more to me as there is to you, child. Degenerates like you have no idea what I'm capable of nor the comprehension of it and my own power." He chuckled and pivoted in a circle with her, dusting himself off in a mocking way. "But I know who you are now. A DRAGONBORN! I must say I'm impressed, that is uncommon."

"Y… You know of me?" she questioned, but fell quickly to anger and continued to circle him. "Impossible!"

Lanius folded his arms behind his back and let out a short laugh. "Please, child. You're on planet Third Earth, the word 'Impossible' means nothing here."

Lyannah growled, glaring at Lanius, waiting for a move. "I told NO ONE I'm Dragonborn, how does an animal like you know that?!"

"Please… It's my job to know these things. What? Don't you think I have spies scoping out the land? The Legion is everywhere. There was a fictional book I once read back in my time, about folklore and legends from other worlds. The Book of the Dragonborn was one of them. It was a book I never actually enjoyed. To see one in the flesh, that must mean Nirn is real." He contemplated, rubbing his chin. "An inferior race of beings, all ripe for my rule... Interesting…"

In a sudden outburst of rage, Lyannah threw her ebony dagger at Lanius. He was able to effortlessly block the impact by letting it strike through his arm, without a single word or flinch. No blood, just a quick pierce. "You come anywhere near Nirn I swear to Talos I'll-"

"You'll what? Drown me in my blood? Eat my heart?" he mocked, scoffing at the idea. "Nirn is light-years away from this Earth, child. I'd love to hear how you got here and apply it for myself but our world hasn't perfected the idea of light-speed yet. So perish the thought it just isn't here at the moment."

Lyannah rolled her eyes in boredom. "You love hearing yourself speak, don't you?"

"Who can blame me? I'm just so perfect," he chuckled. "Could strike me as excited. The very idea of a protohuman supreme breeding with a real Dragonborn is just inconceivable! If the legends are true, our children will be far superior to anything this universe has ever seen before! Everything is just getting all the better for me. No race nor planet will stand in my way! The whole solar system will be ripe for my colonisation!"

"Y… You demented FUCK! I am NOT your sex object!" she screamed.

"I'm not asking for your permission."

In another swift flourish, Lyannah extended her arm out to Lanius and somehow used some sort of psychokinesis to unsheathe her ebony sword from Lanius' belt, and brought it to her grasp along with her ebony dagger.

Taking a stance, Lyannah stood ready to Lanius, who was unsheathing his bumper sword. Taking a stance, Lyannah stood willing to Lanius. It only took a second for Lanius to charge at Lyannah, clashing blades and to test each other's strength, face-to-face.

Lanius rushed at Lyannah and used his weight to throw her off balance, but not enough to land a successful strike on her. She was still able to backflip away, causing more blood to spew from her gut, which distracted her again. Lanius thrust his sword, catching her right shoulder, drawing more blood to trickle the hot land under their feet.

Yelping out the quick pain, Lyannah struck away Lanius' sword to the ground and gouged her dagger at his face. He shielded his face at the time, having her ebony blade bore into his forearm, without a flinch.

Lyannah kicked Lanius away and swung her sword, spinning it at his chest, striking his sword then again at his right shin. He blocked that counter-strike and threw his weight at her, disarming her. It wasn't over, he kicked her chest in, with enough force to launch her back at the ground, with fewer intact ribs than before.

Bloodied and battered, Lyannah held her collapsed chest and tried to get back on her feet, her will and confidence couldn't match her strength and soon fell face down due to the slipping on her blood. She cursed loudly. "Can't believe I'm losing... I never lose!" she sputtered with anger, struggling to keep her balance on her feet but falling short on her knee, holding her bleeding gut. The bandages were opening, and the wound was burning. "I'm DRAGONBORN… You're nothing!" She cringed and bled some more like a stuck pig.

"Whatever you say, Dragonborn." He chuckled, coming to her at walking speed. "You kneel naturally... Now you die!"

Lanius raised his bumper sword above his head to heave at Lyannah's. She gazed at the sight of Lanius preparing to heck her head in two and froze in the realisation of the fact that she is going to be killed by the very types of men she kills on a daily basis. She didn't approve of being killed on her knees and focused eternally on her next choice of actions. Like the execution back at Helgen, time went real slow before her eyes. This time there was no dragon to save her. Not the one she killed that is. Then the executioner swung.


	2. Redfield VS Legate Lanius

In a quick one time desperate attempt to save her life, Lyannah caught Lanius' bumper sword with her hands and stood up on her feet with a rush of adrenaline. "I… Kneel… to… NO ONE!" she screamed, throwing Lanius' sword away.

Lyannah charged at Lanius and leapt at his face, kneeing his chin with enough momentum to push his mass back. Then leapt again in the same manner and threw a long, straight punch at his face, forcing him back even more and leaving him reeling. She cracked his metal helmet and stunned him open enough for her to advance upon.

With true speed, Lyannah threw uppercuts and hooks galore at Lanius, like she was paid to do it, deepening the vertical crack of his helmet. Every punch to his face opened the evil behind the visor the tiniest speck. She ended it all with a reverse roundhouse kick to the side of the face. With him dazed enough she clutched his waist and threw him over her back, before quickly standing firm on her small feet.

Lanius may have landed on his head; he too recovered very fast back on his feet, unconvinced from Lyannah's speed he rushed at her, throwing his weight into a straight punch. Lyannah guided away from his fist and threw one right into his gut. So powerful it was it winded him to the point he had grunted and briefly took a breath. She refused to give him a chance and threw barrages upon barrages of punches at his chest and face, unrelenting in anger screaming, "Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die. Die… DIE!"

As rabid as she was before, ramming her broken fists at his entire face and stomach, where her fingers were bare-boned. The last of her strength finished him off with a powerful double-punch to the upper torso, smashing through his armour plates and dealing the full damage. The adrenaline induced rage threw Lanius far out of her reach to the ground on his back; barely able to grasp the fight.

Using all her adrenaline, Lyannah launched herself into the air, soaring down masses of momentum into a brutal force of all haymakers, down upon Lanius. In which ended with an impact of a mushroom cloud of dust. She hit something solid as a rock so it must've been him. She was sure of it. It had to be him.

At the point, the dust settled, Lyannah's rage monster within was all tapped out, completely out of breath and on her knees. Her hands were bareboned, broken and bloody again; almost unusable. Her ears were ringing. Apparently, Lanius was gone after the impact of her haymaker. Blood bled from her open bones, mocking her, in fact, her mighty haymaker struck dirt and rendered her knuckles broken and near destroyed. The white bones of her fingers were exposed to the open air. Seeing her white bare-boned knuckle was just sickening. She saw her own death.

Out of nowhere, Lanius flipped his mass at Lyannah into a straight kick, she was able to divert some of his strength away with her bloody palms, but the force of his mighty boot crushed her arms into her chest, breaking her even more towards the dust at the edge of the cliffside. The lack of breath, Lyannah couldn't even speak, couldn't even wipe the blood from her mouth with her bloody hands. Just smear more blood on top of more blood.

Lanius flexed and shrugged the pain he hardly felt. "That the best you got?"

Lyannah beat the ground in a fury, pounding a small crater in the dirt. She lifted herself up. "I REFUSE to lose!"

Lyannah mustered up as much magic she could. She still had some magicka within. With a golden shine between her crooked fingers, the open wounds on her hands and torso sealed over in actual seconds. The sensation shot through her in an instant rush, drowning out the pain from her internal damage as she was fully healed.

"There we go..." she breathed. With a quick thought, an idea emerged. A black ring she was wearing felt colder. She stood and tendrils formed from her shadow wrapped around her and then she was gone, her own shadow consumed her.

She stepped out of her slow-forming shadow behind Lanius and in an instant, using psychokinesis to cast her sword yet again, she took a firm hold of her beloved sword. Lanius was able to adapt to her abilities and quickly turned around to face her. Which was a mistake. Her black ebony sword was coming at him with no intention of slowing down.

As Lanius' went to grab Lyannah, she had twisted around to his grasp and thrust her sword into his the opening in his chest plate. Through the hand that tried to grab her, the armour and heart, her sword was buried all the way to her grip into him. Letting loose a flow of his blood over her hand, his warm blood poured out like a faucet, gushing all over her arm.

That was the rush her old friend Deena was on about, the life in spilling it all over her body and blade. Lyannah didn't like the taste of blood as she did but the adrenaline in pouring it from a worthy adversary was something she compensated it for. Only it wasn't regular blood she spilt, felt like warm water...

Despite the well-placed thrust, Lyannah was shocked to see that her sword did jack shit to Lanius, his chest, heart, nothing. He had his left arm at his side and just stood there, with his other hand stapled to his chest. "Come on! That's gotta hurt!" she exclaimed.

Lanius clutched her hand, twisting it away from her sword, glaring at her as the pain he inflicted brought her to her knees. Her sword was still resting between where his ribs should be. It was so close, within her reach. "You're tougher than you look." Lyannah pried her dagger from his arm, dug and gouged it back into his wrist that was clutching hers several times to no effect. "You're sly; I'll give you that," he dryly said.

Lanius ripped his hand from her blade without a flinch, splitting though his hand. He clutched her hand, the one with the holding dagger. He guided it towards her and forced it back at her face, but there was moderate resistance against him. Even with his untapped strength, she was resisting well. "It's pointless to resist. Give up." He aimed the tip of her dagger at her face. It gleamed in conjunction to her green eyes.

She kicked, tossed and turned madly, trying to break free of his clutches, being on her knees it was hard to project the willpower to do so. Snarling with temptation, she drew her breath and shouted, "FUS RO…"

"Not this time!" he declared, breaking herwrist with a single sharp flick of his hand. Tore the tendon in her wrist and broke it. Only her skin and flesh kept her right hand attached to her limb. The only worse feeling she ever felt in years. The pain stifled her voice.

The dislocation and breaking of Lyannah's wrist were lots of pain, couldn't help herself by yelling and crying in agony, instead of utilising her Dragon Shout. With teary eyes and a slight cringe, she was losing the will to go on. The constant pain wasn't worth fighting for, especially in a fight she might actually lose. For the first time in her life, she might not only lose; she will die.

Lanius felt Lyannah's grip was loose from the dislocation; she still had her knife in hand, so he forced her own dagger at her face. With only a sharp second to save herself, she managed to itch her head away from the dagger's tip, it wasn't enough, though… her blade thankfully only gouged into her collarbone and not her neck. He backhanded her face in and kicked her back away from him and the cliffside.

Lyannah took a deep breath, tearing her dagger from her collar and took quick consecutive breaths thereafter. Wasn't used to using her left hand. She got back on her hands and knees and noticed something yellow on her bloodied dagger; it had the same texture as water yet it smelled of blood. Like real human blood, only yellow and scraggy.

After taking a stance with her dagger in hand, Lyannah was concerned about her actual odds. "By the Nine, his blood is... yellow? What matter of being am I fighting here?!"

Lanius shrugged to Lyannah's open nature and slid her sword out of his chest. "I'm the future of mankind."

She snorted and spat blood. "Whatever… How do you not feel pain? You should be dead!"

"Yeah, I get that a lot," he muttered, walking to her, bloody sword in hand. "This little game is starting to drag. Time to die, child."

Lyannah reached into her pouch and pulled out three steel daggers, throwing them at Lanius. He shielded his face with his arm; the blades shattered on impact from the armour on his triceps. Into splinters. "Steel won't cut it," he said in a mocking tone.

"He's… right," she admitted, wiping the dripping blood of her mouth. "FO KRA DIIN!" she shouted.

Like a far unrelenting forceful shout, this one had a mighty gout of ice forming a wall of shards, jutting out at the velocity that would put Lyannah's own speed to shame. Though the voice of absolute zero matching a thousand blizzards, it did nothing to harm Lanius, hardly slowed his advance down.

Lanius shrugged off the ice. "Surviving an Arctic tundra is child's play."

Lyannah was conflicted on her next shout, it had to be a good one, and though another sprint could launch her off the cliffside, it had to be an effective one at that. It was time to mix things up a tiny bit, Lanius was still running her down with her sword. She never tried such a volatile shout before but there was a first time for everything under desperation, and she were running out of ideas. The idea came from Deena, so it's hard to tell if she was telling the truth at the time.

She went for it, relaxed her shoulders, took a deep breath and she shouted, "WULD QAH DIIV!"

In another way that would suggest as if she was gone in an instant, Lyannah was no longer where Lanius buried his sword; it swung straight into the ground firmly with all his force. It wedged stuck in the ground. Wedged in deep, he had a hard time prying it out of the dead ground with his right arm; it required two from the depth it was buried.

Lyannah stopped at the tip of the cliffside, with her sprint coming to an end. Mixing up Dragon Aspect and Whirlwind Sprint, she was charged with the significant power of a dragon at her disposal. Her eyes shone bright red, and her clothes had a glowing crimson aura, complete with transparent horns and a tail. The flames from her person danced in the light wind.

She conjured a master level destruction spell with her hands, summoning a long icy spear of no less than a metre and casts it at Lanius while his back faced away. The ice spear was pulsing with an electrical charge and sparked so hot against the ice it started to engulf in flames in the air. Lanius turned around, but not quick enough to stop the ice spear from piercing through his armour, the ribs and out his back. The intense heat of the electrical burn and ice coursed through his body and dropped him to his knees. The cavity was a large one as more blood dripped around his knees.

"Full of surprises, aren't you?" he grunted, with a chuckle. "In the beauty of the universe, there's always some magic out there."

Lyannah took a slow breath of relief, summoned her sword back into her good left hand and went in for the kill. "Time to finish you for good!"

Wasting no time, Lyannah brought her sword down to Lanius' head, in a shock, he intercepted her sword hand and stood up, firm and vigorous, lifting her off her feet again. Her sword was dropped out of confusion. Beating and kicking at him with her free limbs, she couldn't harm him, he just took it all with no flinch, glaring at her. "Like all the humans you're so naive. So gullible. Falling for a mock surrender. You're no better than they are. Why fight for them?"

Lyannah was confused and angry at an all new level, all the damage she inflicted was all in vain. Pissed off was an understatement, insulted to a high degree. He just shrugged off all that damage with a chuckle. "By the Nine! Why won't you die?!" she muttered harshly, like a child who didn't like how the game was being played. "I gave it my all… This isn't… I can't… This isn't human."

"I'm heartless. An artificial implant replaced my heart years ago; it's connected to my A.I. core," he claimed, jamming a needle into her neck and extracting a blood sample from her into a syringe. She never saw the split second his hand was hidden into his armour. "Foolish child, so very senseless. Beating down your adversaries isn't always going to work. There's more to fighting than punching people to death; there are an art and manipulation behind it all. Never go for the kill, when you can go for the hurt. That's where it gets enjoyable."

 _Sounds a whole lot like Deena,_ Lyannah thought, _They both sought conquest and were willing to do anything for it. A match made in heaven. I wish she were here right now. If anyone can kill him, it's her…_ She suppressed the pain in her neck and mumbled, "You fuckin' psycho... You'd think like that, wouldn't you?"

He stared closely into her eyes, a proper death-stare. "Yeah, I do. There's always more than one way to skin a cat, and now that I have a sample of your DNA. I don't need your services any more. Which means I can kill you and breed my own Dragonborn hybrid, or at the very least use it for upgrading purposes."

"You upgrade with blood?" She spat in his face. "Like that's going to work, fucker!"

He wiped his face clean with slight grief. "Trust me; it'll work. There is a lot of power in the blood. Rich with DNA and… information. Alas, before I bury your battered body, I'm gonna show you some _real_ magic."

Lanius threw Lyannah away back to the tip of the cliffside. She recovered fairly fast but without her sword, he had it in his hands, and he wasn't afraid to use it. Her ring felt cold again, it was intense which meant that she was dying. It was powered by death. With too little magicka, she had to use another source of power. Her own life. Worst trade deal but she was still learning.

Lanius threw Lyannah away back to the tip of the cliffside. She recovered fairly fast but without her sword, he had it in his hands, and he wasn't afraid to use it. Her ring felt cold again; it was intense which meant that she was dying. It was powered by death. With too little magicka, she had to use another source of power. Her own life. Worst trade deal but she was still learning.

Lyannah fired off sharpened black shadows from her ring, and though they all missed Lanius, one grazed across his right shoulder. It cut through his metal armour to his surprise. She smiled that necromancy was working as intended for once. She swept her arm wide, firing a salvo of black arrows, two of which got through Lanius' armour again. Then more and more shards slid uselessly into the open air and missed almost completely as Lanius picked up his pace. The novelty wore off quickly. A few shards of darkness a second couldn't land with her target disappearing and appearing from thin air.

What she expected were some movements of his body evading her projectiles but what she saw were short acts of teleportation, very short distances almost as if he could move at the speed of light or a blink. He was blinking! Something she never even thought possible. To be in one place, then another in the time of the shortest blink. Hence, _blink._

She couldn't land a shard on him, casting five to six a second he just never stayed stable enough for her shadows to strike; she was getting visually concerned and stressed with the inhumane nature of his blinking. She had something that can pierce his armour other than her sword, and he wasn't making it fair.

With a sharp twist of his body, Lanius launched Lyannah's sword at her, piercing through her left shoulder, cropping her efficiency in half. In agony, she dropped flat to her knees, pulling her sword from her flesh and bone, though it was at the time her Dragon Aspect ran out and left her weak and battered. The timing was nothing but impeccable.

There was no strength even to stand back up. Her crippled hand couldn't hold, the dislocation was still there, and her temporary strength and resistance were no more. Vanished along the Dragon within. The boost helped her skills in necromancy, without it she needed to be calm and utilise it. And that's hard when there's a sadistic warmonger trying to kill you. Couldn't just wave a ring around and use it, there was a link, a connection. In all things, a calm mind prevails. Even in magic.

Wanting to end it as quickly as it started, Lanius held Lyannah by her throat, she was completely tapped out and knelt limply with no challenge left in her. "What's the matter? Can't feel your arm?" he mocked. "As much as I'd like to chain you back in my tent, I feel you're too much trouble to keep alive. With your DNA, you're nothing to me now. Goodbye, Dragonborn."

Lanius threw Lyannah clean off the cliffside, the speed and trajectory she went had her land on Lanius' tent, crashing it down. He wanted to throw her further but felt like it would be too much, turns out it wasn't enough, and his tent was destroyed to his annoyance. Smashed down his red tent.

"Aw, not the fucking tent! Dammit! My magazines and equipment were in... Oh well. It had to be done. That was getting tedious yet impressive to the end, for a Dragonborn." He flexed and relaxed his muscles. The sensation brought a breath of fresh air to Lanius. "Much better. She was the perfect warmup for what I have in store for a certain General."

Lanius spent some time looking for his bumper sword and standing at the cliff's ledge to watch upon the carnage below, cherishing the moment of victory. Down below, David and his group were gradually being forced back by masses of Praetorian guards; their close combat prowess pushed all their oppressors back. With their backs against the front gate, David and company were losing the fight, even in spite of tearing the Legionaries to shreds with their weapons.

Twisted and mutilated body parts of his soldiers littered the field below. Blood formed pools and covered patches of the grounds that wasn't piled with various limbs of the human male. David, Cass and Boone were scattered and scuttling away from his soldiers. None of that bothered Lanius in any way. He was so close to seeing the demise of his enemies, the death of his rival, the ending of a legend. First Redfield. Then the Dam. Then the N.C.R.'s grip will be broken. Humanity will kneel in mere days after his elevation into Godhood. Who knows what lies in wait over the horizon?

Though his men died in horrible ways by the hands of his enemies, having their flesh torn from their bones with heated gunfire, Lanius didn't care. For every one there was two. Lanius wasn't a fool; he had more waves Centurions and Praetorians ready to be deployed for the one to fall in combat. Though William and Lyannah were out of the fight, General Redfield was nowhere to be seen among the others.

From the top of the hill, behind Lanius stood Redfield in a vile mood. "LANIUS!" Redfield screamed.

"General… It's so good to finally receive your acquaintance, here on the day of this battle," he humbly stated, turning around to face Redfield. "I'm so glad Vulpes didn't hurt you too much to make it here. I trust gave him a warm welcome."

With baited hesitation, Redfield raised his BAR at Lanius. "I gave him the hard goodbye, yes. I knew it was you that sent doghead to my fuckin' war room…"

"It was Caesar, actually. I wish it were me to send him on a suicide mission, though, I hate him almost as much as you do," he admitted, pacing in a circle with Redfield. "How he would surpass me is profoundly pathetic. How could he even match my skills?"

Redfield pivoted with Lanius in a circle, keeping him locked in his sights. "That's the problem. After today, no one will surpass you. For your disregard for the Mojave and its people. I'll see to it that you die!"

"Let's skip the drama, shall we?" Lanius unsheathed his bumper sword and stretched his arms. "All beneath the flag of the bear exist only to test the strength of the bull. The west will fall as did the east, and all the tribes too weak to resist. All of the Wasteland will bear the mark of the Legion."

Slowly lowering his weapon in sudden realisation, Redfield felt deep undertone. "Would be the Legion's nature to take everything and give nothing out of greed, we both know that. You can try to take the west, but moving your armies there could run the risk of losing the east. You can't hold both."

Lanius stopped abruptly in his tracks. "That's where you're wrong. Caesar made his mistakes of sending our armies here for Hoover Dam; things will be different when I'm in charge. This place will not be my grave or the Legion's. It'll be yours and the N.C.R.'s."

Redfield and Lanius quickly raised their respected weapons with their stances. "Not if I end you first!" He was the first one to start firing on the Legion menace.


	3. A Death Bringer rises

Redfield and Lanius quickly raised their respected weapons with their stances. "Not if I end you first!" He was the first one to start firing on the Legion menace.

Redfield fired at Lanius with everything his BAR could spit out, even though Lanius began spinning his sword, deflecting and outright demolishing his .308 rifle rounds he kept shooting. His rounds never landed on their mark, but that never swayed him. Redfield's life could depend on his suppression fire, and he was the only one up there to stall the Legate.

After a quick reload, Lanius charged at Redfield swinging his sword down at his face; he wasn't fast enough to land a strike on him, Redfield had dived away and carried on shooting at him. The scuffle tore at his shoulder, but he was able to keep his gunfire focused while he got back on his feet.

Lanius closed the range to Redfield with his sword, spinning it exceptionally quick forming an impenetrable bullet shield. With the speed he was twisting his sword, he deflected a few lucky hits on Redfield's chest and shoulders. The rebound shots lacked the force yet were still able to stagger Redfield when they landed on his chest.

In time he was weak enough for Lanius to kick down, in his signature straight boot. Threw Redfield to the ground, landing awkwardly on his waist. Lanius unholstered his magnum revolver and shot at Redfield's thigh. The weak section of his armour gave away, wounding him greatly and putting him on one knee. Lanius refused to let the old man get up.

The blood loss was plentiful, Redfield clutched his wound and cursed the pain out, and the wound was suckling wide from the cavity of the magnum round that went through his left thigh. Lanius had already tried to swing his sword at him. Redfield was able to block the swing, but his sheer strength broke straight through his BAR and held enough momentum to cleave into his left shoulder; the bloody pain hit him like a freight train. The tendon and collarbone split in half.

Redfield could only howl out the pain. Damned crude bumper sword left an open wedge on his shoulder, and if it weren't for his BAR, his sword would've cleaved him in two further down the middle. Redfield removed the bumper sword from his shoulder and forced Lanius back, throwing away the sword. Though it wasn't good enough, Lanius backhanded his face to the floor, leaving him battered on the ground.

Lanius scoffed, reclaiming his bumper sword. "Pathetic old man, standing in the way of progress. This Mojave is for the fiery younger generation; this is no place for old men."

"You're as delusional as Graham was. As long as I live the Legion's tyranny will never be realised." Redfield coughed and sputtered. "I may be old, but I'm a leader and a hero, more so than you'll ever be."

"I'm not looking to be a hero or a leader, but a God among men. I'm going to do what my predecessor failed to do. To kill General Redfield," Lanius declared, grabbing Redfield by the ankle, from the ground. "Let's see how much of a hero you think you are." He walked to the edge of the cliffside, holding Redfield over ledge upside down. He showed him the bleak world from the view of the cliffside. "The sight of the great General Redfield nailed to the Dam's walls ought to sway your weak-minded forces, wouldn't you say?"

Redfield coughed with disgust. "No comment…"

"Pity." Lanius threw Redfield away from the cliffside behind him. "You'd best prepare yourself; I don't want you going limp on me yet, old man."

Redfield unsheathed Sally from his belt and unholstered Red Hare from the holster inside his jacket. He could barely stand. Like he was drunk, he had no control of his legs from the gaping hole in his left leg. "I am anything but limp..."

"Ah, swordplay! Didn't think you had it in you. Just so you I beat that little Dragonborn friend of yours, so you better be worth the time. You don't seem like much of a challenge," he boasted, flexing his shoulders. Redfield lowered Sally and stood still, questioning himself.

"Dragonborn? She really WAS a Dragonborn…? And you… You killed her?!"

Lanius shrugged, followed by a mocking stance. "Yes, I did; died like a little bitch. I had plans with her, but she was too annoying. Enough talk." He leapt into the air and slammed his sword into the ground with tremendous force; the shockwave threw Redfield off his feet while he was just getting Sally ready. Dust kicked up and curled all over the cliff.

With the clashing of their swords, from hooks, swings, hacks, slices and dices, Redfield held off Lanius fairly. The swordplay mostly involved the two circling one another, chipping away the weapons and going for sneaky sweeps. Redfield could easily tear his foe into ribbons but to risk a fatal attack wasn't worth the gamble, Lanius countered Sally's strikes and returned them even quicker. A kick Lanius delivered forced Redfield back a couple of steps, the strength of the kick was more so than the last, breaking a rib and robbing him of his breath. The blow took him back to his younger days. The feeling of pain was the only way to feel alive.

Lanius wasn't finished, he sheathed his bumper sword and unholstered two magnums, exchanging bullets with Redfield while he was throbbing on his hind leg. Redfield only had six rounds compared to Lanius' ten, from that they shared the same calibre. Long ago Red Hare would penetrate and pierce the thickest of armours, though the weaker .45-70 Gov't replaced his main round only because he cannot make the .475 magnum anymore.

Before Redfield could come to a reload of his six-shooter, Lanius shot Red Hare clean from his hand; it flew straight off the ledge down below. Lanius discarded his revolvers and drew out two more. A shot rang out, and Redfield stumbled backwards, a bullet between the ribs. He lost his breath momentarily and his vision blurred. _Are y_ _ou dying? Again?_

Bullets whistled and struck Redfield with remarkable accuracy. He howled and bled heavily with the large.45-70 Gov't rounds striking his chest, shoulders and legs, he couldn't even block them with Sally, and the shots he dared to reflect hit him anyway. Most shots would deflect away though this time he lacked the focus to do so, and instead they struck his body at the worst of times. The worst of places. His handling of Sally was neglected for years, and unfortunately, it showed.

The entire time Lanius mocked him if he was giving up or stating he expected more, in his cruel tone of nature. Demoralising him to the greatest extent. Verbally and painfully. The echoing sounds of the large revolvers made it heard to hear his taunts.

A single round that struck his chest bled the worst of all, Redfield couldn't stop the blood from pouring out of him, it only narrowly missed his heart. It left a firm hole in a weak spot between the armour plates. He barely realised the situation of the fight he was losing as the high calibre rounds tore his flesh from his limbs and destroyed his armour. _Let me out!_

"Giving up? It looks like your reputation was highly overestimated then. For shame..." he muttered as he swung his bumper sword at Redfield's head. The blow struck his forehead of his helmet. The lens broke off and the helmet was barely holding.

Redfield felt the world inside his head crumble. The blow shattered his helmet and broke the filtering system to utter shit, launching his battered body to the dirt. Tossing and turning across the dust, he came to a bitter halt. He tried his very best to lift himself on his feet but succumbed to his wounds and thrived on the ground with his blood pouring under his stomach.

The fight ended as fast as it started. Lanius put away his weapons and took Sally into his hands and thoroughly examined the graceful blade. Leaving Redfield to bleed out to his accord, he suffered from organ damage, bone fracture and constant vomiting of the blood.

"What a beautiful weapon you have here, Redfield. Slim, double-edged and surprisingly very light for a one handed longsword. If I didn't know better, this is the legendary longsword of Phobos himself, which means you're either a grave robber or the long exiled Sarkis.

 _Uh, oh. Busted…_

 _Shut up, Zachariah doesn't need this right now._

Redfield choked bitterly. "H… How do you know that?!"

"I've been around long enough to recognise sigils when I see them," Lanius informed, picking Redfield by his ankle. "Having a pleasant chat over tea and scones over it with would be most fascinating, but we both have a battle to win, and I don't intend to lose so… no hard feelings."

Lanius heaved Redfield's body into the ground behind him and back over his head twice over, the impact chipped and fractured more and more of his armour and bones. Demolishing his collarbone, helmet and spinal cord, his ankles and knees. The pain even destroyed parts of his mind and soul. Redfield wasn't going anywhere.

Lanius left Redfield on his hands and face. "Like your lord and saviour, crucifixion would fit you perfectly. I'll get a wooden cross from my camp. Don't go running off anywhere." Lanius chuckled, impaling Redfield's back with Sally, pinning him to the ground. He was immobilised and stapled to the ground. "Don't die on me old man. I need you to send a message."

Lanius turned away and walked the other way, but something was amiss as he heard a voice. The voice was penetrating and sounded void of emotion. Dead and unsettling, yet it was of a male tone. "You think you've won, Conquest?" the voice asked. Unsure of, he turned to see Redfield stood with Sally still unmoved in the ground. Both of Redfield's eyes were a solid colour crimson.

"I have won. I defeated you, Redfield… what else do you possibly have left to throw at me?"

"That was Redfield you defeated," Redfield clarified in his unnaturally dark voice. Empty and hollow, unlike him at all. "Not me..."

"What's the difference?"

Redfield fixed his cuffs. "I'll show you, Conquest." Lanius growled harshly. Redfield raised his head. " _This_ is a Demigod."

Darkness leaked from the cracks of Redfield's armour. It wrapped around his body like a bandage, growing thicker, covering him from head to boot in vantablack. His eyes were sharper and his body was engulfed flames that had a grey singe. And then Redfield was gone, and in his place stood a walking embodiment of sheer darkness.

"I got to admit, I am a huge fan of what you do. All this chaos, madness and killing warms my dead heart."

"What are you doing?"

Redfield ignored Lanius and carried on. "I bet in another universe somewhere, we would be working _together_ … But not here, unfortunately..."

Redfield held out his arm, and his hand lengthened to a sharp point that flew at Lanius. He growled, barely managing to deflect the strike that scraped his right shoulder. He went at Lanius again, and again, and he stumbled from each attack. He was able to deflect most projectiles with his superb reflexes, but most times it wasn't enough, scraped and chipped through his armour in several places. The darkness was tougher than his armour, then Lanius had an idea. He bets Sally could cut through Redfield and his darkness with ease.

He clicked his fingers, summoning flames in the palm of his other hand. It was a lighter shade of black and danced in the wind. He threw the fireball. but it extinguished when it landed on Lanius' armour. He felt the heat through it, though the armour was built not to catch fire. Then Redfield threw another, and another and then a full barrage followed through.

There was little time to act. Lanius unsheathed his bumper sword and spun it fiercely above his head where Redfield's barrage was descending from. The speed of his bumper sword caught and protected Lanius from the incoming fire and had an intense black blur. It caught on fire itself and started to melt. Lanius shook it off and charged at Redfield with full throttle. Blade in hand.

Once he swung, Redfield wasn't there, the shadows whittled away and disappeared. Then something latched around his neck. It had some strength and took his sword from his hand. The shadow. Shadows formed around his neck and he suddenly couldn't break free. Redfield restrained him and had him in a tough hold. He stood closely behind him.

"You think highly of yourself, Conquest," Redfield said in that horrible voice. "Do you really think you stand a chance against a Demigod?"

"I proved my determination already," Lanius strained roughly in response. "No Demigod nor Dragonborn will stand in my way."

"Oh, I'm not questioning your power Conquest. The thing is, I'm not just an ordinary Demigod. I am the _original_ Death Bringer!" Redfield shoved something sharp through Lanius' back. It ripped through his armour and came out his chest. He cried out, trying to hold back the pain he felt. It was a sword. Solid vantablack with a red rim across the edges. Double-edged. "You think you're any different than the billions I have slain in my reign?"

"You're not Redfield. Who are you?"

"I am Auditor." Auditor shoved his broadsword through Lanius' back, and he growled as it tore through him again, where the heart was supposed to be. "Hmmm… Your heart isn't where it should be." He thrust again in the same place as earlier. He paused to think where Lanius' heart was. "This is embarrassing. I can't find your heart."

"I don't have one," Lanius grumbled.

Lanius couldn't get a hold of Auditor. His hands just went through the shadows that seemed to form his figure. He had no mass or body. Sally was in an arm's reach. He reached out for her as Auditor thrust his broadsword though his back again. He couldn't think about the damage to his integrity, not when Sally was nearing his fingertips. Good thing he couldn't feel any pain or there would be massive damage he couldn't shrug off.

He had Sally and swung her at anything behind his back. Auditor's shadows were taken by the wind and formed in front of Lanius. He had his broadsword and took a stance. Their blades locked and Lanius backhanded Auditor first. He had to dodge Sally's edge but not Lanius' mighty boot. That was important to know. Sally can make contact, which means she can hurt him. Nothing else could even touch him.

Auditor swung his broadsword down at Lanius' head, but he blocked it with Sally and guided it into the dirt by his right foot and shoved him back with her hilt. His counterattack was similar to his adversary's, a short hack that missed and struck the dirt where he once was. Auditor shadow-stepped behind him and already thrust his broadsword.

Lanius quickly turned and swatted his broadsword away and thrust Sally through Auditor's chest. Felt strange. The only sign he had that he landed a decent blow was only from the sound of the response. Since there was no mass, it was hard to tell if Lanius indeed hit him where it hurts.

Auditor dropped his sword and grabbed Lanius' head with both hands. The temperature inside his helmet raised beyond levels of the sun and the heat was suddenly unbearable for him to handle. He had to let go. He threw himself from Auditor and left him reeling with Sally still in his chest. He dropped to his knees.

Before retrieving his bumper sword, Lanius growled and took a stance to anticipate Auditor's next move. He didn't. He held Sally but stayed on his knees in visual pain. He often twitched around the neck area like a form of spasm.

"Worthy strike," Auditor grumbled, "You beat me..."

"Already? I was expecting a challenge."

"Redfield is fighting inside me," Auditor strained. Unmoving. "My time is up… He has… no intention of letting me continue. Noble… Argh!" Auditor fell on his face and ceased to move. Once the flames died out all that was left was Redfield's battered body.

Lanius didn't question what just happened; there were too many to list. One minute he's killing an old man and the next he's fighting an alleged Death Bringer. Whatever that was. Redfield had no more strength to offer, so he didn't think much of it and carried on with the crucifixion he desired for. He was motionless, like he was dead.

It didn't even take Lanius a single minute to return with a crude cross made of hard oak, some iron stakes and a mallet; the cross was sturdy and big enough for himself. Must have been built before the battle. There was no trouble to nail Redfield to the cross from the state of his health. He didn't want to kill him yet, not until he raised him on the wooden cross. He hoped he wasn't dead yet.

Lanius hammered iron stakes into Redfield's hands and feet. The blood flow was more than before as the stakes wedged through his veins and ligaments. Placing the cross at the edge of the cliffside, digging it into place for the entire camp to see. "Comfortable?" Lanius mocked.

Redfield couldn't even open his eyes, moving in any way possible stirred up some gritty pain. He could only mutter through his clenched teeth in a raspy tone. Blood trickled off his grey beard. "In time… the Legion… will fall… and you'll… be the one… to suffer the worst… of them all…" he muttered, "In the name… of good… and right… go… to… hell… y… you…"

"Savage?" Lanius interrupted Redfield during his outburst. "Took an awfully long time figuring that one out old man. You were never the smart one, were you Zaac?"

Redfield hardened with shocked expression stretching across his wrinkled face, he sputtered and gurgled on his blood and words. "Wait… what? Conquest? Y… You're the lost Horseman… Dorian?"

"In the flesh. It's been a while; you know since your stupid son ruined my plans and abandoned me here."

"You had it... coming for a long time."

Lanius sheathed Sally into his belt and his bumper sword over his back where it belonged. He paced around Redfield. "You delusional old fool, never been the one to admit his mistakes. Like father like son."

"At least I had a father."

"Never needed one. Ah, before I forget, the surprise visit from Auditor was a nice change of pace by the way. You mind telling me who or _what_ that thing was?"

"No one special..."

 _That the thanks I get… Sheesh..."_

"The four stab wounds in my back say otherwise."

"Auditor… The Demigod of Madness… Killed him back in 2001. I made a deal with him to utilise his aspect, at the cost of him… trying to break free from Death's holds. He'll do anything to survive… fighting through me is one of them… Only I was too weak to keep him in line..."

"Said something about being a Death Bringer. You mind explaining what that is? I find that highly interesting."

"After all the pain you caused me?" Redfield chuckled. "Go to hell..."

"All of that belongs in history anyhow. Back to business."

"Must we?"

"As of now, the Legion marches into the Capital and the Commonwealth. Megaton, Diamond City, Goodneighbour, Rivet City and the Citadel… nowhere is safe. All the major cities will belong to the Legion. Just like everywhere else you tread, all hope for you is lost. Get used to it Wesker. Not even Christ or Auditor can save you now."

"The Legion… will grow… weary of your… leadership… and so will the Wasteland… I… I..." Redfield gurgled, then began to sputter with blistering rage behind. "You will die kicking and screaming you… fucking BASTARD!"

"That's cute. History will not see see that way, unfortunately."

"You'll… get what's..." Redfield breathed, unable to finish his words. He vomited violently down his beard and chest, then bled heavily from his hands, running down his legs to the pool below his feet. He closed his eyes and fell limp without a sound.

"Zaac?" Lanius questioned, checking Redfield's body for a pulse. The blood loss was too great for the old General to survive, he was finally broken and succumbed to his misery. The satisfaction was too much for Lanius, to finally rid the world of his enemy. "Goodnight, Zaac," he mocked. "Send Wesker my regards."

Lanius spent some more time basking in the glory of outright crucifying the legendary general. Down below, beyond the piles of Legion corpses, everyone was gone, excluding Lyannah and William who were out of commission still. To make heads or tails was damn hard, the camp was dead respectively, all but one person. He found Lanius at the cliff and was as enraged as the good General before him.


	4. David X Lyannah VS Legate Lanius

"Lanius!" David cried.

Lanius wasn't even surprised anymore, didn't even turn around, just spoke sarcastically. "Someone up here again? Seriously? Why is it so easy for people to get up here? Where is the damn security? Where are my bodyguards?!"

David took aim with his Avenger and got ready for a serious scrap. The heated barrel was spinning. "You ready to die?!"

David's power armour was bloodied and damaged from the constant Legion attacks, left only with a pocketful of ammo for his minigun, it was more than enough to help empty the rage. Shoulder plates were chipped, and the chest piece was giving away. David kept the Avenger spinning and kept his distance, wits and instinct. Lanius wasn't going to just stand there and make it easy for him, though.

Once the hail of lead began to spray, Lanius already unsheathed Sally and shielded his body from harm's way, while pressing on the advance to David. The lightness and sharpness of Sally could rip David open like a can of tuna, struck some sense of fear on the unknown prowess it holds, amplified further with the speed Lanius was coming at him. Wouldn't slow down for love nor money. It seemed all he could do is spray and pray until the Avenger runs out of juice or overheats, whatever comes first.

 _What a surprise_ , David thought in horror, the Avenger jammed up mid-spray. That was the first time it had ever done that to his startled eyes. This allowed Lanius to make the first strike; the brief pause was enough for David to duck quickly under and back behind him while he sorts out his damned minigun. Weapon jamming was a death sentence.

When David was able to get the Avenger in working order with a quick adjustment of the overheated barrels Lanius had already brought up Sally and spun it in a circular motion, shielding his body. David knew better than that, he bought his time and waited for Lanius to let down his guard, though the thought may be fearful it was all David could do. Lanius got in close to David, close to hacking him to a pulp within an arm's reach. David couldn't risk getting too cocky with Lanius swinging Sally around everywhere, after every swing the chance of him slicing his face open increases. Even after some well-timed dodging, Lanius landed a thrust that caught David's shoulder.

The pain sent David's adrenaline soaring high, numbing the pain. He let it all out and used his Avenger to beat Sally from Lanius' hand with a right swing. Then constantly whacking at his face thereafter, it was working better than he had expected, he was bashing him back. He was able to grab Lanius' hand that was gripping his neck and tried to break free, paying close attention to Lanius' wrist. David felt irritation when he used his amplified strength to crush his wrist.

With the modified strength and power of his armour, David was able to force his will to loosen the tight grip on himself. Lanius hardly felt the pain. He crushed his left hand, if it was organic it would have been destroyed. A short second after that, Lanius kicked David's stomach fiercely out of spite, this sent David skidding back. David's Avenger had cooled down enough to spin up again, but Lanius was hot on his tail with Sally in hand at blistering speed.

With Lanius deflecting his gunfire, David couldn't breach his guard, even firing at Lanius' exposed feet and shins failed to faze him or his speed. All his rounds missed due to the speed they were moving. For someone to wield Sally to the manner he was, his swings and hacks were only slightly faster than his own, David was able to avoid his strikes and even parried a few with his minigun.

Lanius clutched David's shoulder and bashed his head in with Sally's hilt several times; every pummel started to fracture his helmet a tiny crack. After the sixth beating, David shielded his face with his Avenger and swatted away Sally, irritating Lanius, then hit back at his face with the Avenger's butt. He grabbed David's Avenger by the rotating barrels and applied so much pressure he crushed a handful of barrels, rendering it unusable. He ripped it from David's hands and threw it away, Lanius crudely punched his chest in below the ribs, robbing him of his breath before he could retract his eyes from the red minigun.

With David coughing up the contents of his last supper being of canned beans and instant mash, he couldn't block Lanius' colossal straight punch, in which stored enough mass to flatten him out on his knee. All that could be heard was David's constant muffled cursing inside his battered helmet as his world crumbled inside.

From behind, Lanius clutched David's shoulder and threw him far out to the dirt, softening him up to pound on more. David didn't even have time to collect his thoughts, let alone get back on his feet, Lanius was already kicking him into the dirt, with the strength and fury of the kicks and stomps David's structural integrity will be reduced to paste. Tenderised paste.

Lanius growled with utter confidence and stomped on David's face, resting his boot on the bridge of his helmet's nose. Pressed his head into the ground."How does it feel to crushed under my boot, profligate?"

"Oh, it feels a bit like THIS!" David cried out with his limited breath, grabbing Lanius' heel and forces him to tumble over him.

The recovery of the two was phenomenal, Lanius, of course, was much faster and was quicker to grab David's shoulders than he was vice versa. With a solid headbutt and a straight punch to the face, David was on his knees again, backhanded into the dirt.

David unsheathed his combat knife and desperately ploughed it at Lanius, missing his head by an inch and gouging through his wrist. He blocked his face with his right forearm and let the knife's tip pierce his metal armour. The outright act of going for his face made Lanius grab David's helmet and forcing it into the ground with massive velocity, ploughing the back of his head into the solid ground.

The pain was quick, but David heard every crack and crumble inside his helmet as Lanius' pressure on his head fractured his helmet and passed through to the back of his head. Everything was fading to black. Lanius was increasing the pressure of his meaty hand. Felt like his head was going to explode like a tomato.

With one hand behind his back, Lanius threw David into the air, soaring well above his head and back into the palm of his hand. Despite the weight of his power armour, he travelled high in the sky and into Lanius' palm like it was nothing. The juggling of his mass, when David hit the dirt again, it was with a hefty thud, disturbing the ground and throwing out his back. Adding to the pain, it was hard to focus or even speak; he could swear he saw double.

Lanius sighed disdainfully and unholstered two fresh magnum revolvers and shot at David like a rabid animal. High calibre .45-70 Gov't shells skimmed, fractured and punched through David's power armour, all across his face and neck. Lanius swapped between magnums instead of reloading, he had a few loaded Ranger Sequoias holstered in an arm's reach and discharged as many shells possible at David. Totalling almost up to twenty rounds in quick succession.

David lost count on how many shots he took before collapsing to the ground, face first. It was more of a struggle to stay conscious than on his feet, taking a nap right about now would be just grand. A comfy bed to sleep the pain away. Absolute bliss.

"Is that the best you got? Pity..." Lanius mocked, raising David off his feet by his shoulder. "Now… let's see the look in your eyes before I squeeze the life out of you."

Lanius disconnected David's helmet from his power armour and cast it aside to see the man behind the mask. A brief period of awkward silence later and Lanius hardly moved. To his eyes, David was the painful reminder of his old life, an old relic from his past, David may not know it, but _he_ does.

Lanius' tone of voice was bitter then got gradually more and more irritated, ending with blistering anger. "David? David…? DAVID!" Out of sheer rage and fury of a thousand supernovas going off at once, Lanius threw David with all of his might, launching him right over the cliffside, where Lyannah was thrown previously, crashing down on his tent again.

From down below on Lanius' tent, in the midst of the shambles David regained consciousness on top of Lyannah, she looked very peaceful with her relaxed posture and free-flowing hair. In a word she was beautiful. There was something about a woman sleeping that felt nice on the heart... she wasn't sleeping. Apart from nearly crushing her with his weight, Lyannah was still battered and collapsed with all the bloody wounds on her person. Bleeding gut, broken hands and her face was bruised.

"Lyannah? Lyannah!" he cried, trying to revive her with his best efforts. Shaking her, CPR and even praying, nothing worked. "Lyannah, please wake up. I need your help… Please…"

Lanius stepped to the edge of the cliffside, staring down at David with folded arms. "So… David Wesker in the flesh. I've been waiting for this moment!"

"Lanius!" David shouted, standing up to Lanius, ending his fruitless revival of Lyannah. "Fuck you! How the hell do you know me?!"

"I am surprised you had forgotten about me so easily after fucked me over during that day of the accident!" Lanius calmly shouted down. "Even as little as destroying the Nexus Transformer and ripping us both from our timeline!"

"No… No… NO!" David cried, freezing with a sudden impact of traumatic deja vu. It was him. "Y… You… can't…?"

Lanius discarded his helmet, bearing his face for David to personally witness. The left side of his head was replaced with machinery, from his jaw to the top of his skull. Heavily damaged organic face, deep scars ran under his eyes, and the blood-red crimson colour of them was all too hard to miss. What was more noteworthy was his thin yellow blood, leaking from his fresh wounds.

There was only one person David knew that fit the bill… "It IS you… Oh… shit..." David muttered in fear, freezing on the spot. "Dorian…? You're… ALIVE?!"

"What's the matter, David? You look like you've seen a ghost," Dorian mocked, cracking his knuckles. "It's been twenty-four years; I've been waiting for this moment for TWENTY-FOUR years! Now I can finally make you pay for the damage you caused me!"

"Caused you? Caused YOU?! You were there with the Nexus! You attacked Beverly!" David raged, pointing at Dorian with much content. "It was all Umbrella's fault!"

"You think you destroyed the Nexus? You only destroyed the _t_ _ransformer_ , not the Nexus itself! Just shows how little you know about the actions that conspired back then," Dorian stated, pacing across the cliffside. "I was only there to protect the Nexus Transformer from Verkraft Industries; following orders. Only a bumbling human would force the blame on others. Even I frown upon that idiocy."

David coughed blood and brushed his face. "Even with the damage that's been done, it's all in the recovery of our actions… here and now is all that matters. Redemption for our endeavours can make things right-"

"Are you proposing we redeem ourselves?" he chuckled. "I have nothing to prove. Look around you..." Dorian mocked, showing David the hazardous wasteland around. The scorched yellow skies, the death and betrayal down below. The day was taking turns for the worse by the minute. The wind sang to his ears; it sounded of evil and decay. "The new world is a bleak, hostile, violent breeding ground for greed and corruption… I LOVE IT! The Legion accepts me for who I am all anew, and I'm free to do anything I want in the entire country because all who oppose the Legion's will is doomed to fail! Right now, this will all end the same way it started: just you and me. Without your father what hope do you really have against me?"

"I _really_ hate to admit it, but he is not wrong," David muttered to himself.

Dorian put his fractured metal helmet back over his shaped hair and unsheathed Sally from his belt. "Best make peace now. Your time is over!"

"Working for the Legion is low even for your standards. Umbrella… Neo-Umbrella… now the bloody Legion," David whipped out his slung M4 and took aim at Dorian. Fighting the deep urge to give up. "You're more of a disgrace than you ever were!"

"You think I work for the Legion? I _am_ the Legion; I fucking deserve no less!" Dorian roared. "You have no idea what I've been through just to survive! Fuelled only by the singular hatred I have for you, to one day make you pay for you did the day of the incident. You may have forgotten about me a long time ago, but I _never_ forgot about you."

David took short breaths and lowered his aim with a slight thought of conscience. Was all really his fault? "No one should be blamed for the sins of their past… But this time I'm going to make it all right… even if it costs me my life!"

Dorian stepped down from the cliffside, dropping his heavy mass with a loud thud. He walked towards David and began flourishing with Sally. Sally skimmed the air and whistled. "That's the spirit! Because you're going to die anyway."

David fired his M4 all over Dorian, the blistering speed he manoeuvred made it hard for David to land a single bullet, and the constant inhuman blinking made it near impossible to focus. He'd never be in the same place twice. At the last blink, Dorian threw his clenched body at David with similar mass and power of a cannonball, throwing him on his back again. That's what Dorian does, lands a double dropkick on the victim's chest.

While he was down, Dorian heaved Sally down at his face, though he was quick to roll out of the way. Quickly to stand, David reloaded and shot at Dorian furiously while he had difficulty wedging Sally out of the ground, it was just pissing him off rather than hurting him, David didn't realise that until he needed to reload. The bullets impacted but failed to draw blood, like shooting a Panzer tank with a BB gun.

Continuing the spray, Dorian had just ripped Sally from the ground and swung it David's general direction. During mid spray, several bullets David had fired at his face was swiftly deflected back towards him. Dorian's perfect positioning of Sally, caused some of David's bullets graze dangerously close to his left eye and temple. The sudden shock halted his gunfire to cover his face with strong pain. An inch to the right was far too close for comfort.

Dorian swung and hacked Sally at David while he was distracted, so distracted after the first few swings David naturally countered a swing at the wrong possible time. Forgetting that Sally can cut through steel like butter, David's M4 was cleaved in two. The next swing he got in close to Lanius to catch Sally's hilt.

Dorian punched David's face, breaking his nose and then twisted his body to swing Sally into his abdomen, slicing through his power armour. Following the wedge between, that's where he drew his blood. David clutched his stomach and cursed so hard, which just came out in gibberish. The pain felt gritty like having a power saw revved slowly into his flesh. Sally was known to cut through almost anything... it wasn't always swift. That pain ended when Dorian kicked his chest in.

While David was ripe and ready to be finished by Sally, all he could really do is to shield his face with his hands and hope for the best, slowly waiting for his inevitable demise. He couldn't give up but to find peace, at last, knowing he did all he could do it wasn't a bad way to go. Either choice wasn't a totally bad one at that...

Suddenly, a woman in black shielded David, her elegant black blade saved him from Sally's edge, while it was just inches away from his face. It was none other than Lyannah. Still alive? "Remember me, Lanius?!" she growled. Locking blades with Dorian.

"Dragonborn?"

Lyannah used her blade to lift Sally away from David's head, and with her strength alone she threw Dorian's' away albeit a few steps, before quickly addressing her bleeding gut wound. "Wasn't I enough for you?"

"Don't flatter yourself, child. You were never enough to satisfy me."

"Then how about two for the price of one?" She stretched out her left arm and fired a fistful of shadows at Lanius, turning him right around and losing Sally in the making. David had only caught his breath.

"Lyannah… you're alive? Thought you were-"

"Don't act so surprised, Agent," she interrupted. With a short glance back, she offered her hand for David to help himself up on his feet.

"Seriously, I thought you were dead."

"You think too much, Agent." David wielded Sally from the ground. "You just about ready to finish this fight?"

"If that means to kill Savage you'll have to wait in line."

"Two against one… that'll be good," he unsheathed his bumper sword from his back, "saves me half the trouble and gives you a sporting chance. And people say I lack chivalry and honour."

Lyannah peered to David. "Does he ever shut up?" she said mutually.

"Don't get me started. I'll fill you in later if there is a later…"

While David and Lyannah faced off against Dorian with their own mixed swordplay, they were inevitably forced to leave everyone with their own ordeals. William was out of commission, Cass was M.I.A. and Boone, and Veronica were both out of earshot trying to help Redfield.

Meanwhile, it was on top of the cliffside where Boone and Veronica were. They worked their way around the camp, in time they reached Redfield, who was still crucified. The Legion resistance was faltering. They both slowly let him and the cross down but couldn't free his bounds; the stakes were nailed too deep into the wood. Hope for his recovery was slim. The damage was just too much for someone of his age to cope.

Veronica stepped out the rear of her power armour and knelt down to Redfield with shaky hands. "I don't think he's breathing!" she cried.

"General!" He checked Redfield's wounds, grimly. "He's losing too much blood! Gotta take the helmet off!" He tried to remove Redfield's helmet but couldn't figure out how to correctly. There were too many adjustments to consider. Veronica checked his pulse around his neck and feared the worse.

"Won't do any good. There's no pulse!" She saddened with regret. "He's gone…"

"This is terrible! Fucking savages!" He stood up in a fury with his hunting rifle ready at his waist.

"The Wasteland needed more people like him. What'll happen now?"

"I don't know, Veronica. But he'd want us to win, and the only way to do that is to find the Legate and kick his ass," he said, almost with a smile. "You with me?"

"I'll lead, you support."

"That's my girl. Get in your armour and let's regroup with the others if they're still alive."


	5. At the Elder Council's mercy

_Now somewhere far, far away... The Spirit world, an exclusive haven where Gods, Demigods and any other God above humanity alike roam. Excluding the Mystics, they have their world free of the Gods. Spending nearly all of their spare time, when they're not working their magic, this is their social hub._

 _The world was dimly lit at first and in all directions was nothingness, seemed to go on forever because it does. Stars in the distance of the night sky. Pitch black with tiny white dots. The transparent floors and ceiling - if there was one - made it so that any being could look upon the stars at any time. This world was dead-centre of the entire known universe. The very middle of_ this _universe._

 _There were three raised platforms with a small booth on the top of them. One without a booth was square in the middle, where Redfield waited patently. Bound by a thin tether lashed around his forearms, and connected to the platform. Almost like chains to restrain a rabid creature, only replaced by an unbreakable bond._

 _It gave the impression of a courtroom you'd see on TV back in the days, just felt grimier and horrid because there wasn't one human person. There weren't any humans here; they were forbidden. In the three booths were three of the universe's most powerful Gods. The Elder Gods. The ones chosen to be the embodiment of the Good, the Neutral and the Evil._

 _The Elder Council would have an Elder Tribunal to handle situations one alone cannot control. In this case, it was a rouge Demigod that finally revealed himself. On his knees with his hands bound and tied to the ground with a Godly white bond was Redfield, here in the Spirit world he's somewhat famously known by his taken name Sarkis._

 _After years of exile and going AWOL, Sarkis finally returned to his home away from home, unintentionally or not as his and Redfield's fate was intertwined. There wasn't a homecoming party, this was like a court marshal. People looking down on Sarkis and his actions, to eventually come to a suitable punishment._

 _His wounds were all healed, yet his armour was still damaged. Only four were present. Firstly was the Good, Jesus Christ, the one who handed him the apotheosis back on Rockfort Island 1998. Secondly was the Neutral, Death, he was the esteemed one who'd do his job for the sake of balance of life, he was the Grim Reaper, what else is there? And lastly was the Evil, Lucifer, the son of Satan, there's little interaction with him, but he's relaxed and modest, for the embodiment of evil. Preyed on all things evil._

 _The three Elder Gods sat in the booths, facing Redfield. Though they sat in silence, Sarkis knew they were profoundly disgusted with his failures, that's why they called for him when the opportunity arrived. His punishments were long overdue since his failures. They forced him out of Redfield like an animal and now the sentence can be decided._

 _Jesus was as old and damaged as Sarkis was. Thick stitches ran across his whole bald head, his beard was full and thick, his robe was a perfect whiteness of purity. He also had lightly-coloured complexion. Death didn't show much of his face, only his jaw. Everyone knew the Reaper, but his black cloak-shroud thing he always wears was darkest of all known darks. His infamous soul-reaping scythe was present on his back. And Lucifer looked like a common man, only he had crimson red skin, though his health was superb for a being as old as he claimed to be. His moustache, light beard and short hair were all coiffed and complimented his voilet two-piece suit._

 _"I was hoping we'd never meet again under these circumstances Sarkis," Jesus calmly said, breaking the tension. "Did you honestly believe you could hide from the Council forever?"_

 _"Not for a minute. What did you expect, Master? I took the honourable way out; I forced myself into exile," Sarkis admitted._

 _"You only took that honourable way to hide from our radar!" Jesus added. "For years I trusted you to turn yourself in, and you didn't… not until now. Why did you hide from us?"_

 _Sarkis couldn't tell Jesus the truth. That he was deeply afraid of him and his future punishment. Had to hide from it all. "Hide isn't the best word to use. I got caught up in some problems I didn't foresee. I got them done one at a time and things just got worse-"_

 _"That is NOT GOOD ENOUGH!" Lucifer barked. "You know your place as we know ours, Sarkis. We all know you read the terms and conditions…"_

 _Sarkis sighed. "I know, I know… We were there when we signed for them. We knew what we were in for when we accepted the responsibilities for me to take this position." He cried, "What more do you want from me?!"_

 _"Someone to fix the damage_ you _caused to America, Sarkis." Sarkis scoffed loudly. "You know damn well what happened back then and why you lost against War."_

 _"So that you know, I improved my faults and started paying for my sins on my_ own _terms. Don't sugarcoat it."_

 _"Good. Now we can begin your punishment."_

 _Jesus had summoned a large screen-like monitor, it hovered over the ground and cast no shadow beneath. It was playing the battle from Lanius' camp from Earth. The battle was live, the one happening billions of parsecs away in the universe. The battle was still raging on with glimpses of Hoover Dam, Commonwealth, a bit of the Capital and precisely focused on Lanius' camp, starring David and Lyannah._

 _"Why are you showing me this?" Sarkis grumbled._

 _"With all that you know thus far, who's going to win the battle?"_

 _Lucifer put his feet up on the bench. "What purpose does this have, Jesus?"_

 _Jesus dignified Lucifer with a blank stare and went back to talking with his ex-subordinate, the one being judged. "I repeat my previous question."_

 _Sarkis sighed. "The_ _N.C.R_ _."_

 _"Even with the last Horseman leading the Legion?"_

 _"The_ _N.C.R_. _might lose? No… NO! After everything_ _Zachariah_ _prepared!?"_

 _"No. The Legion will not achieve victory."_

 _Sarkis breathed calmly with relief. "Thank goodness. Zaac done his best to keep things in order-""_

 _"I don't think you'll like the alternative," Lucifer added._

 _"What is it? Is the_ _N.C.R_. _going to lose as well?"_

 _"Most certainly NOT. They'll win… at the price of a substantial cost."_

 _"He was expecting a price tag," Sarkis mumbled._

 _"He isn't going to like this one."_

 _"What do you mean?"_

 _"How do I put this delicately?" Jesus uttered, staring at Lucifer._

 _"The cost is your Zachariah Wesker's son, Sarkis," Death finally said._

David? Sarkis, say something! _Redfield cried, inside his own head._ _"_ _Zachariah is… fighting inside me." Sarkis raised his hands against his bonds. "_ _You cannot mean what I think you mean?"_

 _"If it helps clean up your mess that is a cost the Elder Council is willing to pay," Jesus said with a serious tone. "The Elder Tribunal has decided. David will die for_ your _sins, Sarkis."_

 _Sarkis felt a great deal of pain for the son he never had, one he felt close to as it was a part of Zachariah Wesker. It would come to the feeling of losing a distant friend or at least the son of one..._

 _The monitor was adjusted for all to see equally. It floated in the air and played with fantastic realism as if they were all there. Sarkis refused to watch time to time but was eventually forced to by his curiosity._

Now on Third Earth, back at Dorian's demolished tent was David and Lyannah, both still fighting him together with their respected bladed weapons. Dorian locked his bumper sword with David's Sally and both brew heated rage towards each other.

Dorian focused primarily on David, even with Lyannah leaping over his head sword first Dorian didn't slow down, he can handle two adversaries easily with his new A.I. and naturally superior reflexes. With a quick shove, David was down, with Lyannah soaring high over his head thrusting her sword again at Dorian's face. He parried her thrust and threw her over his head behind him and quickly targeted her. Even though he was in between them both, he wasn't concerned.

Lyannah unsheathed her dagger and ran for Dorian, locking her blades with his. She struck at him first with quick swipes and thrusts, but Dorian's enthusiasm hadn't changed, he effortlessly intercepted her strikes with ease like before. Several clashes later into their feud, it took only a mighty boot to Lyannah's shin to cease her endless fury of attacks. David tried to land a strike on Dorian, but he just blocked it without a single look and rammed his meaty bumper sword's hilt into his abdomen, crumbling the plate under his chest.

The heft took all the breath out of David and left him gasping for more. As he thought Dorian's aggro was back on Lyannah, he turned around and got swatted the left side of his head in by the hilt of Dorian's bumper sword. This was Lyannah's chance; she charged at Dorian while his back was turned, she thought of attacking him again though she lost the element of surprise as he stared her dead in the eyes. Lyannah dropped, sliding on the dry ground, between Dorian's legs.

Dorian turned quickly to see Lyannah already leaping at him with her two blades, gouging them right into his chest, piercing through the metal plating. Both dagger and sword were skewered into his chest, and she stayed in his face using her blades as leverage. An unusual method, Dorian believed. Lyannah wrapped her legs around Dorian's back and fixed herself into place, and with her dagger, she dug it into his left shoulder and left it buried into his helmet, she pummelled the rest of his face with her free hand. She couldn't fracture it.

She was far too close to use his bumper sword on; he had to get rid of her quickly. Lyannah removed her dagger and drove it into Dorian's forehead, managing to penetrate fully. He didn't care. He firmly grasped her fist, and with a twitch, he snapped it at the wrist. She yelped and cried in the horrible gritty pain she was hoping to forget, with her still crying on and on, Dorian unravelled her right leg from him and threw her away at David.

David caught Lyannah as he got back up on his feet, she cowered in his arms from the pain. Anything and everything she deals with Dorian always leaves her battered and broken, with him feeling in tiptop shape. The only person that has any insight would be David; he didn't look like he could do any better than she did.

"This guy is a lunatic!" she barked.

David sighed. "Where have I heard that before?"

Lyannah pressed on her stomach. "This fuckin' hurts! How do we kill this guy already?"

"Do you trust me, Lyannah?"

"Yes, Agent."

David took out his combat knife and ran it down his cheek. "You know what to do." She nodded in confirmation. David stood up and helped Lyannah up on her feet, he went the extra mile and gave her a boost. She felt strong enough to shoot three shards from her ring and heaved them as hard as she could at Dorian.

As expected he shielded his face with his bumper sword, they struck but didn't pierce. The very second Lyannah's shards skimmed through the air David reached for a compartment in his thigh and pulled out a light blue grenade and threw it at Dorian. The grenade exploded in a bright flash as bright as the sun, right in Dorian's face. He got the full blast and staggered, finally catching him off guard. He appeared to be blind as a bat but stood calmly, awaiting any further advances from David or Lyannah. He expected their assaults.

David rushed at Dorian and threw the strongest punch he could at his face, at the point of contact he was surprised to find that Dorian anticipated his actions and swerved his body away from David's.

"Still working on that." David threw another punch at Dorian; he was able to slide it away and leaving him to trail off. Dorian since kicked his rear end. Suddenly, from behind Dorian, Lyannah clutched his waist and threw his mass over her head, into a suplex. And as he was about to get up on his feet Lyannah was faster to do it, she kicked him hard, right where his nose should be, laying him flat out on the ground near the edge of the elevated ground near the ledge away from the demolished tent.

Dorian's movements gradually slowed down, as expected by David and Lyannah, Dorian sluggishly rose to his. Lining him up and knocking him down. The first thing he did was removing his metal helmet, showing his full face, Lyannah backed away from him, he looked even meaner than he did with the helmet on.

David had regrouped with Lyannah with Sally in hand, ready to face off whatever Dorian has in mind. Dorian was about to continue walking to the pair, but they both saw his organic face twitch and his hand went to his stomach. His fingers dipped into his armour, bringing out a syringe housing a colourless liquid.

A quick shot to the neck and Dorian relaxes with a sudden rush like it was adrenaline or some booster. This gave David some time to look around for anything that could prove useful; he noticed Red Hare. It was empty, still… could be used as a club to some effect. It had weight and provided some damage potential.

Without a pause, Dorian leapt into the air and landed dead between the pair; the shockwave sent David towards the crashed tent and Lyannah tipping over near the ledge. Dorian continued his assault on David with his bumper sword against his Sally and Lyannah feeling weaker by the second. She couldn't stop Dorian, she just never faced such an opponent before, hell even the Dragons from her world were never this persistent or this formidable.

Got her thinking. David knew his way around this brute. She didn't. She never felt so inferior up until now. She couldn't let David die. Lyannah ripped her dagger from Dorian's helmet and sent forth a battle cry before she latched herself onto his back again. Dorian didn't seem to care so she went away and plunged her dagger several times at his head, all over where his brain should be.

Every jab appears to whittle her dagger away, blunting it. Did it blunt her favourite ebony dagger? _Impossible_ , she thought. The durability of the left portion of his head was nothing short of phenomenal compared to his armour. The organic half wasn't any weaker.

With a solid kick to the chest, David was thrown off his feet far towards the rocky side, under the even higher high ground, below the crucifixion. They were just going around in circles. Dorian took this moment to pause and to deal with his little sidekick, leaving his bumper sword in the ground. Dorian clutched Lyannah's shoulders and heaved her body at the same wall David impacted, only closer to the tent's left side. David's power armour plating was giving away and coming apart from the constant torment, and Lyannah laid on the ground, thriving in pain. Dorian smiled.


	6. Cass VS Legate Lanius

The game was over. Dorian pulled Lyannah's sword from his chest and threw it at David while he was on his knees getting up. He shielded his face with his bare hands and held slim confidence and even slimmer hopes of success. Suddenly, Lyannah voice was heard. "Nooooo!" she screamed shoving away David without warning.

When the dust settled, Lyannah was standing firm and proud, with her own handcrafted ebony sword resting in her upper torso, right up to the hilt. Blood poured from Lyannah's wound and ran down her mouth, but with no obvious pain. David saw shock and peace in her startled emerald eyes. She glared at David and touched her sword once while it rested near her heart, taking short breaths. Every feeling apparently irritated her. Her lips trembled. "D-David… I..." Lyannah uttered, lightly with heart. She reached for David, crying out internally for him but eventually collapses to the floor, in a slowly forming puddle of her blood.

"Lyannah!" David cried. "God-damn you, Dorian! I'm gonna kill you!"

"Like to see you try."

David made a dash for Sally and swung for Dorian in a heated, sloppy manner, so amateurish Dorian had no problem stepping out of harm's way and blocking a somewhat predictable second swing. Dorian swung his bumper sword's pommel at David's face once, fracturing many of his teeth and some of his jaw, then walloping his stomach several times over, with each strike stronger than the last, destroying the armour around his torso completely. A short few minutes into the fight with a rejuvenated Dorian Savage, both the bleeding and internal bleeding had tripled for David.

One final strike to his stomach and Dorian threw David over his head and sent him back down. Could barely stay awake to see the scorched red sky, Dorian stepped into view, looking down at him with great joy. If there was any trump card David had at his disposal, it was Dorian's weakness. As he raised his bumper sword above his head to swing away, David gingerly tossed another flash grenade into the air and quickly covered his eyes.

In the sudden blast of the bright light, Dorian covered his face and staggered away, swinging his bumper sword desperately. David took his chance to get Sally and make his move. He rushed at Dorian full speed while he was just getting his bearings, with Sally tightly grasped with both hands. Dorian wasn't quick enough to recover fully, though through his superior awareness he had some time to muster.

David cleaved and ran Sally through Dorian's torso while he countered and swung for David's chest with his bumper sword. David attacking first was better than expected, it disturbed his counterattack so much his bumper sword only struck out his waist, at the cost of his horrible aiming, he was only able to hack down his bumper sword, then grazing towards his right arm.

The recovery was sloppy, David toppled down from the sudden spurts of blood from the gash around his hip. Dorian, on the other hand, paused briefly and then fell down on his knees, from David's aggressive assault he had suffered a critical hit. Dorian's right arm dropped right off his shoulder, spurting torrents of his yellow blood all over the ground, his reaction wasn't faltered, his wound sealed up instantly. But his bumper sword was cut in two, dead in the middle, leaving the actual bumper itself as a one handed sword. Like a scimitar.

"You'll pay for that!" Dorian shouted. He picked up his new sword and approached David with deadly intentions. "You lousy, insignificant… MAGGOT!"

Suddenly, in a blinding outburst, Dorian planted both feet into the ground and launched himself into the air, far over David's head. The speed at which he was landing, Dorian ploughed his sword right on top of him. However, David quickly dived out of harm's way, at the cost of dropping Sally from the shockwave Dorian caused.

The fresh bloody wounds around David's chest stopped him from standing his balance; he had to force himself on his feet, adding to the strain on his ankles and bones. Dorian put sheathed his sword into his belt and took Sally from the ground. "Time to play can opener," he chortled. "What fleshy surprise is waiting for me under that armour of yours David?"

Dorian went out of his way to hack at David, slowly with a large force in each swing and backhand he sent his way. Each attack sliced through David's power armour like butter. Between the gaps of the plates, Sally's edge drew blood. Over the metallic screeches, some of Sally's iconic singing was audible. All David had to use on such short notice was Maria, and Dorian was the type to ignore small arms fire, didn't stop him from trying. David walked up to Dorian, firing several times as he went, and each shot erupted yellow splatter against Dorian's face and neck, barely stunning him. _Cyborgs eat bullets. Shoot the mouth and splatter brain._

When he got in close, he nearly took David's hand clean of with one well-placed swing. As David readjusted his aim the second swing Dorian swung at him again, this time his backhand caught David's fingertips. Not only Maria was sliced in half, but he also lost his trigger finger, all the way to his knuckle. David cried and cursed loudly over the loss of his digit.

The scorned howls from David gave Dorian a smile. Such a big smile he swung at him again, this time slicing across his chest, lightly brushing his ribs. David howled and fell down on his backside, leaning on his bloody hand, covering his face from Dorian and sneaking out another flash grenade from his rear. As things were about to fade black, he hurled it at his face again, David figured he'd catch on quick, so he didn't expect the flash to stun him. It did.

Dorian, once again was stunned and flailed Sally about, raging and cursing David's name. This was his chance to smash Dorian's face in. He pummelled away at his blind face, emptying the rage within. The amplified strength of his armour did wonders. The recovery wasn't as prolonged as David thought, Dorian headbutted the bridge of David's nose, breaking it like it was nothing. His nose bled like a running tap. Dorian swept out David's legs by the knees and plunged Sally into his right shoulder, spraying out his blood like a fountain. He forgot to disarm him from Sally. It was shredding him into ribbons.

The pain was too great to control mentally, David's howls and cries couldn't mask the pain. Swearing it out was invalid. He gritted his broken teeth and kept Dorian from removing Sally from his tender shoulder flesh. It was all he really could do. It would mean more punishment if he kept in in the cavity, but it kept Dorian from trying to take his head off with it. The power armour strength allowed David to match the might of his cybernetic limb. Dorian couldn't be bothered to play David's game; he let Sally rest into his flesh and went for his neck, throwing him at his tent where Lyannah laid.

David was fading in and out of consciousness with the constant beatings, so regular he should have built up an immunity by now. While glaring upon Lyannah's body, the battered, bloody state of her person caused a spark in his mind, of a woman he once knew. That's when he started hearing voices inside his head. There was a woman whom he loved long ago who shared a similar look. The look of a desperate woman.

A bloodied and battered David pulled up a woman – clinging to her dear life, into a corner. She was roughly his age and had flowing ginger hair and was seriously wounded from a bullet wound. It was back in a place he used to live, before the War. Beverly Hills, with his first love, Samantha Simpson.

 _David…? David… I...I…_

 _Don't talk… I'm going to get you out of here. You hear me?!_

 _David… are we going to die?_

 _No. You're gonna live._

 _I can't. I have no strength._

 _You got to work with me, honey… Come on, please! Even if it costs me my life, I'll make sure you make it out with yours._

 _David…_

 _Sam, I won't ever give up on you. Please don't give up on me._

David's body twitched. "Sam," he mumbled. He thrived some more after that, then fell back into deep thought. "Sam… Cass..." he murmured.

Here and some time ago. David stood proud and firm in combat armour, with Cass holding him tightly from behind. It was back in their love suite. That wonderful place in Freeside. After their marriage.

 _What kind of bullet is this?_

 _Hmm? Oh, that? That was is a bizarre shell that my dad personally crafted. Inside the bullet is a cancerous mutagen compound called the Progenitor virus._

 _A virus?! That sounds dangerous._

 _Definitely. They were never fully mass-produced, though, only six of them were ever made. This one I keep as a trophy and a symbol of a personal achievement._

 _Of what?_

 _Of the time Dorian and I killed each other for the first time. Ironically after dying, I never felt so alive._

David's eyes creaked open a slither. "P-virus? Progenitor?" he whispered. He took out his necklace and unclipped the .475 P-viral magnum round. It was still potent. While Dorian wasn't looking David chucked his last flash grenade to distract him, hoping it would be long enough for him to load the shell into Red Hare. David had one shot, and it had to count. Even when the grenade didn't stun him, the sudden pitch stalled Dorian. He couldn't risk being blinded. Either way, it would stall for the precious seconds he needed.

The .475 magnum tore through the air and broke the sound barrier like never before, right at Dorian. The shell intended for his face curved towards his chest, on account of David's shaky aim. His left hand wasn't as good as his right. The shell pierced straight through his heart. By now the tacky black bile was in his bloodstream, overloading his body way over the P-viral levels, he's accustomed to. His choking, vomiting and the throbbing migraines were constant from the virus' effect.

Dorian staggered all over in a hazy manner. David got back up on his feet, unslung his Remington and gave him hell. Hails of flechette scattered all over Dorian's chest and face, though he shielded his face most of the time the shells easily punched through his armour, further exposing his organic body underneath. His armour was tenderised over the duration of the fight. The sharpened steel needles splatted yellow flesh and blood under his feet. The feeling of walking over his mangled meat was extraordinary.

Every step, every shell, every blast, brought Dorian closer to the ledge, at the tip, one more shot was needed to topple him over. However, Dorian recuperated before David could load a single cartridge, as he was about to pump he grasped the shotgun and kicked him back again. The kick to the chest was harder than the last dozen. It sent him hard and fast to the tent behind. Dorian used his immense strength to break the shotgun in two with a single firm grasp, snapping it like a twig.

Luckily for Dorian, David was too far out cold this time to get back up. On the approach, he was too far out of it to feel Dorian ripping Sally from his shoulder. The blood on Sally was fresh. Fresh red juicy droplets of superhuman blood. Dorian couldn't resist the temptation, he ran Sally across his tongue, licking up David's blood. A guilty pleasure.

With an instant rush of pure ecstasy, he shuddered with desire. It tasted different, as human blood only with the slightest seasoning of P-viral antibodies sprinkled in. It wasn't as super as it used to. During their last encounter, David's blood was rich with large traces of Prototype virus; it's regular flavoured. No different than human. It was boring.

"You're human? That's a shame. You're half the man I used to know, and used to be..."

Suddenly, as Dorian raised Sally above his head, gunfire emerged behind him. A single bullet struck Sally from his hand, tumbling him around, it was Cass. Without skipping a beat, she reloaded and kept Dorian in her sights. "You must be the big bad, Legate Lanius? I heard all about you, asshole."

"Get out of here woman!" he ordered. "Or I'll kill you too!"

"Not happenin''."

"You're joking? I killed a Dragonborn, an ex-Demigod and this prepubescent twerp. What threat could you ever pose to me?!"

"I don't know about you but I'm a pretty crack shot, and this rifle I have here fires big bullets."

Cass unloaded her hunting rifle at Dorian without hesitation. He couldn't reach her quick enough with the P-virus weakening him; the heavy bullets toppled him over the tent's remains. He finally fell. Just when Cass thought it was over, Dorian stepped out of the wreckage and stumbled towards her, he bled heavily from his open wounds, which made him trip over his feet often.

He vomited more and more of his yellow blood over his hand. He reached into his armour and took out a syringe, jamming it into his neck, at the same time Cass shot it clean from his hand. It was destroyed. Spewed the liquid inside all over the ground, he was so desperate to get the chemical inside his body he even tried to salvage anything left. The liquid dried up instantly over the tent's fabric and wood.

"NO!" Dorian cursed and swore with his most furious expression, stretching over his ugly mug. "That was a mistake… Your last God-damned mistake! You done fucked it up now human!" His head twitched madly. "That serum… was… the only thing keeping… AHHH!" he screamed.

Cass scoffed. "Whatever." She took aim at Dorian's face. "Let's see what you got Legion boy."

"Oh… you'll regret those words, human. Without that serum my defensive countermeasure activates, and there is NOTHING to sedate it! Status is critical… A.I…. You sealed both of our fates!"

Cass gave Dorian no warning; she gave him everything she got, her hunting rifle hit hard and precisely. Dorian still had Sally and had to get in close. Cass was more than capable of facing Dorian, but his defensive countermeasure consisted of short ranged teleportation, only it was more feral and uncoordinated. He went back to blinking, avoiding any and all of her bullets. The blinking was seemingly infinite. He'd stand still for only a fraction of a second before blinking closer and closer.

No joke, not a single shot could land upon Dorian. He was too fast and reached almost to the point of blinking prematurely as she simply aimed at him. Far too twitchy. "Stay still!" she yelled in frustration.

Dorian chortled. "You obviously never faced a protohuman supreme."

With a short exclaim from Cass' end, Dorian blinked approximately next to her, just by her right shoulder and swiftly disarmed her. She tried to fight him off with her bare hands, but he long fisted her, the sheer speed he had projected enough force to launch her towards the tent's remains, close to Lyannah. In the span of a single second, Cass had a fractured rib and was already worn down. Her health wasn't ideal, to begin with, now her back and ankles started acting up. She even felt nauseous.

Cass examined Lyannah. "Lyannah?" she muttered, sitting upright. "Lyannah!" She saw her blade resting through her chest and confirmed the worst. "Shit! She's dead! This is awful."

Dorian approached her with Sally sheathed in his belt. "She is the first of many. No more, no less."

"What the fuck are you?!" she demanded.

"A soldier. A monster. Conquest... Personally, I believe to be humankind's future of liberation." He stopped at Cass. "Great difficulty I have to achieve my ultimate goal. You humans being so tremendously thick and stubborn to accept change is making my job all the more time-consuming."

"What the ever-loving fuck are you blabbering on about?!"

"I am going to usher a brand new breed of humanity. They alone will succeed humanity as your genetic superiors, with me going down in history as their God."

"And who are you to decide that?!"

"Why none other than Dorian Savage."

Cass choked. "Dorian Savage?! Oh no!"

"The one… the only…"

"You've been trying to kill David from back in his time!"

"That would seem obvious at this point, yeah. And you wearing his armour must mean you're his significant other, are you not?" He chuckled, "He _would_ tell you about me."

"No shit Sherlock."

"My, my… you even sound like him. Ah… is it love? A dreadful bond... Compared to his first wife you're more of the mouthy type," he said, almost charmingly. "That's his type. Just like Samantha... Did he ever tell you the misery I caused his partners? His family? His friends? Huh… cutie?"

"I'm warning you once, asshole. Don't you DARE call me cutie!"

"I'll call you whatever I see fit. Now come here," he went to grab Cass' foot, but she crawls back away from him like he was some actual monster. "I'm just gonna put you out of your misery."

"Your passive aggression makes me sick to my stomach. Literally!"

"You have my glowing personality to thank for that." Cass made contact with the rear wall and could crawl no further. Dorian was able to grab her by the neck, while she protested. Her dexterity was scraping the bottom of the barrel when she had her back against a wall. "End of the line." He lifted Cass off her feet and walked towards the ledge far behind him.

Dorian held Cass over the edge; the ground was at least a twenty-meter drop. She held onto his arm for her dear life, and at the same time, she wanted to tear it off from the socket, though she'd fall before she could even try. She settled for her combat knife, she unsheathed it and forced it into a soft spot in Dorian's arm, between the armoured plating. Dorian's expressing never changed from his default bored one, the tip of her blade just couldn't penetrate through for some reason.

Dorian's eyes lit red with anger. "You're gonna need a bigger knife, girl!"


	7. Savage VS Wesker

Suddenly, Sally was unsheathed from behind Dorian and was plunged into his right shoulder, skewering his torso within a second. It was David. He twisted and ground Sally into the fresh cavity in Dorian's back.

"How's this for size? HUH?!"

The irritable pain put Dorian into a frenzy, and out of the rage, he threw Cass away behind him and David. Dorian tried to fight David's hold on him though his position was a bit of a predicament, he was unable to force David's influence away costing him to lose the balance of his footing. David was too close to his backside.

Dorian toppled over the edge but not before clutching David's hand, bringing him down with him. Cass made a mad dash to David just as he started to fall and reached out to grab him. She was too slow; she just missed his feet. "Daviiiiiiid!" she cried, in distress. The ground beneath her started to give away, causing her to fall in a similar manner to David. Fortunately, she was able to grab onto the ledge, saving her from a long drop. There wasn't much strength in her right hand. The flaky ground crumbled away at the tips of her fingers. Her delicate fingers bled under her weight.

"Why do I always get myself into these stupid situations?!" she choked. "Can't hold on for long!" She tried to lift herself up. On account of her weak strength, it was to no avail. "Dammit! I need a miracle!"

The cliffside she held onto crumbled away, losing her grip and dropping her. Out of the mist, someone caught her hand as her heart stopped. Surprisingly it was her least favourite person, Lyannah… She was in terrible shape, internal bleeding, fractured bones and fresh open wounds, dripping blood, she was at her worst. Cass was relieved to feel she cared enough to pull her back up on solid ground.

"Lyannah? Boy, am I glad to see you."

"Don't mention it," she said, weakly, "despite our troubles you're a valuable asset, and... you can't go out like this."

"Lovely to hear that. Especially from you."

"No problem." Lyannah lifted Cass back the safety on the solid ground. She strained heavily to lift her weight.

"Thanks. At least things can't get any worse."

At the bottom below the ledge, David and Dorian was still down for the count, face down bloodied and battered along with the many dead Legionaries by their campsite. David woke first with a blood-curdling howl, the fall had crippled his body and even completely broken his right leg, the pain was all new to him to feel like a human. The virus he was born with would repair bone and meat in hours; there was never any need to feel this broken. Sometime shortly, Dorian rose to his feet and lingered idly, seeing that he was still alive. He acted strangely, constantly fumbling with his organic machinery, trying to numb the bright sparks shooting from his torso and head. Something clearly wasn't in his favour. Steam rushed from open wounds across his only arm.

"You corrupted my A.I core… You fuckin'… AARGH!" Dorian screamed.

"Great… I pissed him off again," David muttered sarcastically. "This is not good."

Dorian rested against the cliff's wall, away from David. "This has gone on long enough." He began walking to David, scaring him enough for him to crawl away on his crippled arms. "No more games. No more mercy..." He grabbed Sally's hilt and ripped it through his chest without so much as a twitch. Blood spewed from the open cavity, but it didn't even faze him. Dorian was far too pissed off. He was dying. "Time to DIE!"

David's face was frozen; he was petrified. "Bad day to be me right now."

Dorian loomed over David like a shadow of death, with Sally in hand he tailed David with extreme persistence. Even in spite of him doing his very best to crawl away, David tried to get to higher ground back to Cass and Lyannah. The speed was slow with his strongest leg being broken to shit; it wasn't long until Dorian closed the distance. Couldn't get a good grip on the dry ground. His best limbs were crippled!

The jagged rocks and terrain tore against David's belly and chest, slaughtering out a blood trail, he was at Dorian's mercy when he started swinging. He hacked and slashed our David's back and legs with ferocity. Bellowing with intense pain as Dorian stripped him of his flesh piece by piece while cutting away his back to ribbons, the shredding pain could only be described as being gored out by surgical equipment. The pain was unreal.

In his merciless nature, Dorian cursed and mocked David while tore out his back. Lost a quarter of his bodyweight in the first minute alone. David's misery came to an end when he succumbed just below the walkway to Dorian's tent above and collapsed face down in the dirt, unable to crawl. He had started to climb a small set of stairs now. _Oh, joy._

Dorian broke David further. Sheathing Sally he grabbed David's ankle and swung him overhead smashing him into the ground behind him, then back to where he was on his frontside, jacking up his torso and face. Intending to break David as much and as quickly as possible, Dorian heaved him away at the Legion's campsite far away in the distance behind them where they had fallen prior. Piece by piece his armour fell apart until only the frame was left.

It was a struggle to stay conscious through the torment that was being inflicted on his hands and knees David never felt so weak. Never felt like just giving up, he was far too injured to do anything else but give up and die. He didn't feel like dying. Broken legs, deflated chest, fractured skull and jaw, it was diabolic to even think about surviving let alone to scream and curse out the pain David naturally used to. If only his recon armour could help, it was too thin. This time his armour couldn't save him.

Dorian came over and immediately thrust Sally into David's back without hesitation, and with extreme force, it was swift and slid into his tender flesh like it was a lump of clay. It took three more thrusts to dig beneath the remains of David's armour, after doing that Dorian went to town on his exposed back, to draw out any and all of his blood and flesh with wicked precision. While David clung on that speck of his dear human life, the amount of energy he was losing to Sally's wrath was critical. Thrusts, hacks and gouges were too much to bear, David cried at the top of his bloody lungs, and untimely gave up. Thriving in the dirt, it was nearly over.

Dorian kicked David onto his back, to gaze into his eyes before he sniffs out his light. Dorian was finally happy, David was coughing and sputtering blood out of all his gashes and wounds and barely moving at all, yet still alive enough to relish a final blow. To finally end their petty feud, he couldn't wait.

"Why are you… doing this?" David strained gruffly, through his bloody teeth. "Why me?" he breathed. "Why…?"

Dorian felt like David was playing a game. Out of his absent black heart, he humoured him. "Why not?" he mocked.

"What do you really want?" David uttered lightly, almost whispering, "What do you want so badly for all this madness?"

Now Dorian was confused; it wasn't a game, David actually wanted to know. Dorian was destined to be the best as anything and everything. He was designed to be perfect. Why was he even created? What was his purpose? What did Lord Spence plan for him? "What do I... want? Hmmm… I never really thought about what I desired… not until now."

"For a start," Dorian continued, "I want revenge on you and STARS, for my downfall." He hunched down to David. "I had it all, wealth, power and a seat as Neo-Umbrella's Director, and people like you took it away from me. All I ever wanted was to be the director and have all the drugs, money and women to my heart's content. Everything about me and my career was perfect, or at the very least coming to be..." He stood back up. "Since my dream was crushed, I'll return the favour to _all_ of my enemies."

"So that's it, huh?" David breathed. "Selfish mayhem… just for a senseless conquest."

"You humans are a dying breed; I am your successor. This planet needs to be liberated from it's suffering, and once my enemies of the Old World are destroyed I can finally start to make the world a better place."

"Damn communism… People will stand up and fight… against tyrants like you, "David strained. "Mark my words you'll get what's coming to you… you fucking CUNT!" he coughed.

"And as long as there are naive humans like you to kill, I'll be counting on it. Now we cleared that up we can end this fruitless battle."

Dorian forced Sally into David's chest, wedging it in deep towards his heart, the dry, gritty pain of each twist and turn forced David to breathe his last breaths, whether he liked it or not. The bloodied curdling screams couldn't drown out the pain when Sally tickled the outside of his heart; he tried his very best to keep the blade from the fatal blow. Despite giving everything he's got to survive, Sally did her job and effortlessly sliced through his broken digits and plunged into his heart. The plummet of the razor sharp blade tore open his fingers. David kicked and turned and reached for Sally's handle before things went dark; tried to reach for Dorian one last time.

David couldn't cry. He couldn't move anything but his hand in the air. Then he saw Dorian smiling... He was going to kill him, as he promised. He had his whole life ahead of him, and he was near Death's door with a psychopath goring out his chest. The last thing David will see when he closes his eyes will be Dorian... Dorian smiling... He croaked one final time. He shortly surrendered into the darkness and unwillingly dropped into the void. Then... nothing. Nothing mattered.

"He's dead? Already?" He kicked David's body and cackled. His body wasn't moving. "He's finally dead! Now no one will stand in my way!" he cheered.

Dorian went to take out another syringe from his armour, but gunfire from the walkway struck it out of his hand, exploding the colourless fluid all over his face. Cass came out of nowhere and madly gunned him down to his knees without a single word, until she reloaded, giving Dorian time to stand back up. Dorian bled from the cracks in his armour and was visually slowing down; he exchanged glares with Cass while she inched in closer to him with her M203 in her other hand.

A grenade shell soared into the air and struck by Dorian's feet, and in an instant, a glorious explosion rocked his world. Flames charred and scorched Dorian's flesh and obscured his vision before quickly dying out as he stepped through the orange display of napalm. The smell of burning flesh was ignored while he just shrugged off the flames.

"I had nearly forgotten you, cutie."

"Fuckin' call me cutie one more time asshole," she barked, "and I swear I'll have your fuckin' nuts!"

"I don't care for your trivial threats," he strained, stumbling about vomiting blood.

"What's happening here now?"

"Shit... Shit! My defensive countermeasures are offline?! My power… I took too long..." His voice thundered and was masked with fury, "That's IT!" He unsheathed his bumper sword. "You're dead, you hear me?! DEAD!" Dorian's footing was confused and staggered. Almost drunk and tripping over the feet.

"He's barely standing."

Cass kept her aim focused on Dorian's head, though he made this difficult by the way he formed an impenetrable shield with his sword over his head and chest. She loaded another grenade, but this one struck his sword and erupted loudly in between them both. She couldn't see past the orange gaze. Lanius ripped through and swung his sword at Cass, he thoroughly disarmed her, nearly catching some fingers. At the time his face was open for a well-placed shot with her rifle. She took it and pissed Dorian off, even more, he flailed his sword about and randomly struck her across the head. Before she could fire again, he kicked her onto a demolished Legion tent, and crept to her, menacingly.

About to be hacked down to size, Cass fired another round clean through his bare neck, forced him to bleed more and pause for just over a second, crying out in frustration. He held his throat yet yellow seeped through the gaps of his fingers. She struck his apple.

This gave enough time for Cass to launch her body weight at Dorian's waist, wrapping her arms around him and tackled him to the ground. She forced him on his back and restrained his limbs, with his sword out of arm's reach he was the feeble one, for her to use the butt of her hunting rifle a bludgeoning tool. First was breaking his nose, then bashing in his forehead and finishing on his jaws, the heavy blows were pissing him off more than anything. It took several beatings for Dorian to kick Cass off him and back onto the totalled tent, he destroyed her hunting rifle and regained his sword. In the time he raised his weapon over her head, while it was raining cats and dogs in her head, she knew it was over for her.

Suddenly, a bullet had shot Dorian's sword clean from his hand and then again through his left eye, the one time he should never have turned around, the bullet crippled his advanced perception and damaged his A.I.'s CPU. From the hill next to them it was Boone, providing sniper support, and entering the campsite was Veronica in her Brotherhood power armour and LAER. They both opened fire on Dorian without a pause, superheated blue beams and hefty .308 bombarded his person, toppling him over David's body, he shielded himself with his bare arm while Veronica advanced on his position. He was crawling away.

Cass made a move for Sally, without skipping a beat she tore it from David's fingertips and wedged it into Dorian's stomach during his distraction. During a temporary ceasefire Cass forced Sally straight up through Dorian's gut, all the way to her hand, he protested through blustering threats, and heating growls – just made her livid.

She ground Sally through his internal organs, then his ribs, and wriggled it around in his chest cavity, hoping to tear out one of his lungs or where his heart should be while he watched. He tried to fight against her but fell into the shock of the damage he was feeling, he never felt such a pain before in his years of service, barely standing he just staggered all over the place like Cass would do after a few drinks.

Cass came forward and loaded her Caravan shotgun she still had on her back. "I'm comin' at you with both barrels... cutie," she mocked with a cruel smile.

"Oh… gosh almighty," he muttered sarcastically.

Cass shot out Dorian's left shin, stripping his ghoulish yellow flesh away with every pellet, and again shattering his right knee to pieces, bringing him down to size. His yellow flesh was picked from the bone like slow roasted pork shoulder. The endeavour to not furiously cry in defeat was silenced when she shot at his chest. That finally knocked him down on his crippled back, far beyond moving.

"Was it good for you as it was for me… cutie?" she mocked.

Dorian coughed and sputtered in the dust and the dirt. She looked down at him with bitter disgust. "What? You never saw the blood and the guts of a protohuman supreme?" Cass scoffed. "I was to usher a new breed of humanity, with me as a God..." he breathed. "Years of planning all gone because of you emotional simple-minded FOOLS!" He stared t her with his good right eye, that red one.

"Yeah well, _this_ fool kicked your stuck-up ass up and down this little camp of yours. What do you say to that?"

Dorian cackled loudly. "Only that one day later in your miserable life I'll be back more powerful than ever before. Not today. Not tomorrow. But someday… This is not the end of Dorian Savage!"

"What makes you think that?"

"War is sleeping, don't you see?" Dorian giggled. "And once she wakes… you'll wish _I_ was the one to kill you..." He laughed maniacally, savouring in his last moments.

"Go back to hell!" she roared.

Cass executed Dorian, a single blast to his face, the pellets struck through his important portion of his forehead, leaving a small pile of flesh and twisted bone. The sight of the pile of yellow slush was almost enough to gag on. For good measure, Cass took out her Browning and let off some pot shots into whatever was left of his organic head until he stopped thriving in the dirt.

When he did, she knew he wasn't getting up. It was over. She breathed heavily trying to enjoy the sound, taste and feel of a good kill and a deserved victory but the cries and howls coming from Veronica caught her attention.

Dorian wasn't the only one killed in battle, it cost David's life to bring him down, and it was a price no one wanted to pay. Cass' breaths calmed her down, but what sounded like an upset Veronica by David, it struck her heart with deep regret. Up close David's suffering was the worst part about his demise; he died slowly and with pain no one would ever dare to inflict to another being. His body's blood was beaten from him, parts of his flesh were stripped from his bones and the gaping wound where his heart should be was excavated to the point of it being destroyed. There wasn't much left of his person to bury...

"David?" Veronica shook David's lifeless body. "David?" She shook him again harder. "David?!" David's head rolled back under its weight. He was cold.

Cass got on her knees and brushed David's auburn hair lightly. "David… I'm sorry," she whispered, with tears running down her cheek. "I'm sorry..." she sobbed.


	8. Christ makes another deal

_Back in the world where the magic happens, Sarkis, Jesus, Lucifer and Death had just finished watching the second battle and collapsed the screen. Sarkis felt Redfield cry and wail in the back of his head, it was hysterical but obvious. There was a long moment of silence before anyone spoke out loud._

DAVID! My son… _Redfield_ _cried,_ _inside his own head,_ How could any of them allow this?!

" _Zachariah… His pain is… hurting me. He demands to know why you allow this?"_

 _"Everything happens for a reason," Death uttered._

 _Sarkis tried to stand, despite being restrained he fought against his shackles. "Don't feed us that bullshit. What reason is there to kill Zachariah's son?" He knelt down and ceased fighting the shackles. "His silence speaks louder than words. David is all he has left…"_

 _"This is the alternative outcome. His fate decides the future or the Mojave," Lucifer stated._

 _"It doesn't have to be, though. David doesn't deserve this!" There was a long moment of silence again. "Well? Master? I'm talking to you!"_

 _Jesus glared at Sarkis, emotionless. "It's not that simple! You think I like doing this to my children? Even you? Even Zachariah… I take no pleasure doing this. I have no choice."_

 _"We all have a choice here, Master."_

 _"Yeah! Option A, David dies, Lanius dies, NCR wins, and his friends live," Lucifer said. "Or option B, David dies, Lanius lives,_ _N.C.R_. _losses and his friends die. Take your pick."_

Those options suck, and they know it!

" _Zachariah hates those options. Where does all this leave us?"_

 _"Simple._ You _are to be punished and Mr Wesker here-_

" _General," Sarkis corrected. "General Zachariah Wesker."_

" _Not important. He is to move on from his mortal coils and you are to be punished."_

 _Sarkis never liked Lucifer. He respected him only as much as he felt he deserved but never liked him. Felt like he hated him for some reason. He fidgeted against his restraints angrily. "That is not a fair sentence!" Sarkis yelled. "Zachariah deserves a hero's death."_

" _Hero?" Lucifer chuckled. "He is far from it."_

 _Jesus waved his hand. "Lucy…"_

 _"Don't call me that," Lucifer snapped._

 _"Sarkis you damn well know nothing is fair now, only in controlled order." Sarkis crossed his legs and placed his head on his lap and gave up. "If you were half the Demigod you were you'd understand that by now."_

 _Sarkis glared at Jesus with strong hate. "If this is part of your punishment? Tormented like a caged animal?"_

 _"No, it isn't," he sighed. "When I birthed you from Zachariah all those years ago, I knew you were always twice the man I expected from humanity, perhaps one of the best. With good morals, integrity and loyalty, you were a cut above the rest… Where did I go wrong…?"_

 _"I can think of a few times," Lucifer snidely muttered._

 _"Lucy… Most important of all Sarkis, you were my friend. Now with your negative actions far outweighing the positive, you're nothing but a Judas to me now."_

 _"You've been waiting to say that for a while, haven't you?" Jesus said nothing. "You all are punishing me for a mistake_ I'm _personally responsible for._ _N_ _ot David_ _. Not even Zachariah here._ _Send me to Hell, Limbo, Pandora or even her fuckin' box! But David... All of the mankind may be your children, Jesus, but David is_ _ZACHARIAH'S_ _flesh and blood, and you have no right using him as a means to repair MY damages."_

 _"Even if he was doomed from the start?" Death clearly stated. "Would you still agree with your previous statement?"_

 _"He's doomed? In what way?"_

 _"Does Zachariah honestly think he can keep him alive with the P-virus, Sarkis? Progenitor mutagens coursing through his veins only spells disaster."_

Oh shit. How could I forget? Like the Leafmore Incident in 2019, infected individuals are prone to spontaneous mutation... He was human before... The mutation will happen in a matter of days if he's lucky.

"Zachariah is… coming to terms with his choice. He… understands the problem with his son."

 _"Every injection brings him closer to my door, Sarkis," Death added. "Would he give him daily injections, knowing that one day his son will inevitability mutate into a monster, and harm those around him? Or would he rather have him die a martyr? For the greater good."_

I would but… He would just die either way. I never thought of that... Deterioration, mutation… I can't handle seeing him die like that and… Guess he really was doomed, all because of the Nexus.

" _Zachariah's intensive knowledge and experience would suggest his son is doomed, and I'm inclined to agree."_

 _"The false and doomed illusion of trying to save everyone has blindsided you and Zachariah once again. How many times must he die and you to be wagged at to realise that?" Sarkis said nothing because he knew Jesus was right. Like how Zachariah died in Raccoon City, and he failing to the occasional assignment. "We're doing David a favour, to die for a good cause." He stood up from the bench along with Lucifer and Death. "The Elder Gods will decide your fate."_

Sarkis, at this point I don't care about anything anymore… Not even us.

 _There was a very long moment of silence, Sarkis' heart pounded like it was going to explode in his chest, he felt sweat running down his cheeks with dissipation. They were coming to a conclusion... A decision... A punishment. "Sarkis – Demigod of Tranquillity - you are to be banished to Limbo for the next ten thousand, by order of the Elder Council._

 _Death nodded and took his scythe into his skeletal hand to tap onto the ground twice. The loud thud echoed. Something gleamed from the tip of his blade and then he aimed it at Sarkis. A little blue speck, the size of a golf ball opened up slowly in the space between the Elder Gods and Sarkis._

 _It grew large enough to swallow an entire person, like a black hole. It sucked with a mighty force and Sarkis felt something pulling him from all over, like hands pulling at his arms and legs. He felt like he was losing his connection with Redfield and was being juiced out like an orange. That was until it just happened. He felt nothing._

 _Sarkis threw his weight at the benches furiously, fighting against his bindings. They refused to budge a single inch more. "ARGH!" he roared, at the top of his lungs. "Noooo!"_

 _Jesus just watched his close friend get ripped away from Redfield, like a person losing their soul. Stripping an important part from a man. Sarkis cried out and was sucked into the gravitational pull until there was just silence. Redfield laid his body, battered and tired._

" _Goodby, Sarkis. I will weep for you..." The hole grew small and changed colour, from a hazy blue to a grizzly brown._

 _Redfield shook his head as if he just woke up from a long dirt nap. "It's over… It's all over..."_

" _Not quite." Jesus raised his hand and squinted his eyes._

 _Redfield looked down on his chest and closed his eyes. He felt something cold and horrible wrap around his body. His mind was at ease and he felt something inside him wriggle and writhe inside his own body. Fire and brimstone combusted his body and then the burning sensation was gone. Knelt in his place was madness incarnate, on fire in all his terrible glory._

" _Auditor, now it's time for_ your _sentence."_

 _The sound of Auditor's voice was as dead and horrible as ever before, more so as he spoke. "I criminally overestimated Sarkis' efficiency," he said, "All he had to do was stay hidden and keep his mouth shut. Completely inept."_

" _And what next? You escape our judgement?"_

" _My crimes have all been natural, Christoff-"_

 _Jesus stood, offended. "Do NOT go there, Auditor..."_

 _Auditor laughed. "To ask me not to kill billions is to ask a fish not to swim. Or a bird not to fly. It's my duty as a Death Bringer..."_

" _What about the part where you swore your allegiance to Phobos? How does he fit in to your nature?"_

 _Auditor shrugged. "It's so easy being evil."_

" _Auditor - Demigod of Madness – for the billions of lives you ended, the Elder Council sentences you to be banished to Pandora for the rest of your days."_

" _You cannot judge me!"_

" _Auditor," said Lucifer, "Though I'm a huge fan of your work, your are too dangerous to be ignored. I hope you make peace with your new friends, because the Faceless Ones there have been remodelling._.."

 _Jesus sat down and nodded to Death. In turn, Death nodded and the small hole grew large and more yellow and brown. It started to suck Redfield in, intending to rip away Auditor from Redfield as it did Sarkis. Auditor cried out, being peeled way from a body he almost become a part of._

" _This is not the last you've seen of me, Christoff! I will always find a way!"_

" _I said I would end the madness, sooner or later."_

" _You remembered… How sweet...Bastard-" Just like, Auditor was ripped from Redfield and was gone. His body dropped dead, tired and no longer combusted._

" _May your actions haunt you."_

" _Oh, God…" Redfield groaned, "I feel like I was being peeled like a grape..."_

 _"The battle is ending. Zachariah, I pray you take your death with honour and humility," Jesus politely said, despite sounding serious earlier._

 _Redfield was getting desperate. He was scared. Scared to die all over again. "After everything I done?! Two hundred and eighty-two years of putting up with this Sarkis crap and then you just discard me just like that?!"_

 _"Your years of service is only a tick of time..."_

 _"And an eighth of yours… I know… But please… Jesus. Is there anything I can do to fix our mistakes? It cannot end like this. He may be responsible for the damage but I want to at least help. Please! I'll do anything! You condemned my son to death for fuck's sake! He died for Sarkis' sins, and if he doesn't raise from the dead, then I demand a reasonable sentence."_

 _"What's in it for you?" Lucifer chuckled, thinking no one would listen to his pathetic pleas. He was wrong._

" _To survive..."_

" _I shouldn't really..."_

 _"Don't even think about it, Christ!" Lucifer interrupted, Jesus sighed and stared at another outburst he was having. Lucifer was known to have outbursts against him. He was_ his _opposite. "Sarkis broke the law and he is punished. Zachariah is dead. When humans die, they move on. It's what they do."_

 _"Punish, punish, punish. That's all you think about, Lucy."_

 _"Don't call me Lucy!"_

 _"You always had a problem with the side of Good and you should, but don't let it cloud your judgement. Balance is balance... Balancing the scales is what we do."_

 _"I'm sorry? Are we understaffed or something? Send someone else down there!"_

 _"You do know that I'm short-handed right now. We're already having problems with Prometheus 7, Eden 6 and Galactus 5. And I dare say the major problem we're having with the Faceless Ones?"_

 _"I agree," Death uttered out of silence. "Sending someone to attend the problem at hand would be beneficial in the future. General Wesker here has a century's worth of experience among the people and also has the influence to change their ways. The Faceless Ones will not rest nor settle and are we aware of the problem we're having with the Mystics?"_

 _"Whatever." Lucifer folded his arms, with a huff._

 _Jesus faced Redfield. "We have a lot of work to do down there, and I really don't have the people to send to fix Sarkis' mistakes right now. You caught me at a bad time here, Zachariah, though this one might actually be in your favour."_

 _"I gathered."_

 _"I can make you one more deal…"_

 _"Here we go..." Lucifer muttered._

 _"Lucy!" Lucifer threw his arms and sat back down behind the bench, in a strop. "To fix Sarkis' mistakes, I need to send humanity a message. I want you to be the one to deliver as my herald."_

 _"This is why people resort to atheism, too many messages not enough fruit. I'd send them a call, or a hot gothic babe or two. Maybe some rock 'n' roll. You know they call it my father's music? Does anyone else get music named after their fathers? Didn't think so-"_

 _"I have death metal," Death said, "Now please be silent until we deal with the problem at hand."_

 _"He's got you whipped too, Death?"_

 _"Lucifer…"_

 _"Just sayin'."_

 _"Zachariah, I want you to shape up the Mojave, then the Capital and civilise the entire Wasteland. Authorities, business… just like the Old World. His acts ruined most of if not all of America and now you can be the one to fix it. One day at a time."_

 _"That's a whole lot of work," Redfield added. "Might take a while..."_

 _"You're the General of the Mojave's leading faction. You got the resources. It will take the rest of your life, even beyond. It's either this or you can move on..."_

 _"What's in it for me?" he gulped, knowing the price may be dire. There was always a catch in these affairs._

 _"I can personally offer you a pardon and allow you to live the rest of your natural life, as you were before your apotheosis. When the time comes you will be sent above the clouds with the rest of your family."_

 _"Family sounds tempting."_

 _"Be warned. If you fail by somehow making things worse, I'll personally send you to hell. Well, Lucifer will. After all, you_ are _a bit of a killer, or even a monster to some."_

 _"For the record, I will_ gladly _take his soul," Lucifer smiled._

 _"This is the only offer I can spare. To think that taking the name Sarkis and becoming my apprentice no doubt stolen_ decades _of your life. For that, I am truly feeling guilty for taking that from you. If it wasn't for that, this offer would be void. You are a_ tolerable _Christian and I respect you enough to give you the choice. What is your answer?"_

 _"I chose to become a Demigod to save Claire; I'll be damned to refuse your offer to save myself and be reunited with her in peace and paradise. But now the Wasteland needs me, and the people down there needs a General to protect them from terror. They need General Redfield."_

 _"There will be a catch, but I'll let you figure it out for yourself."_

 _"Just makes it more exciting."_

 _Jesus released Redfield's white bonded shackles with a wave of his pale hand. "What is your answer?"_

 _Redfield stands firm and true. Confident again just like on Rockfort Island. A choice was made. History was rewritten. "Jesus, I accept your offer… Again."_

 _"For America, Zachariah?"_

 _"For Claire… and America."_

 _"Any objections?" Death said nothing. "Lucy?" he said nicely._

 _Lucifer waved his hand. "Just send him down already. We're missing our coffee break."_

 _"You and your damn coffee," Jesus sighed. "Close enough, I guess. Just know that when the deed is done ahead of schedule, for better or worse, someone will come for you."_

 _"Not before I buy the first round," Redfield said with a smile._

 _Jesus chuckled. "One of the reasons why I chose you in the first place. You might want to start cutting down on the whiskey."_

 _"What?"_

 _"Goodbye, Zachariah." Jesus waved his hand again, and Redfield was gone within a blink of an eye._

 _Lucifer stood up. "Good. Now we can get back to our_ real _situation. Like who's making the fucking coffees?"_

 _"Your use of profanity is exaggerated, and I don't mean to sound out of character but… I could use another cup," Death said lightly. "Mine went cold hours ago."_

 _Jesus groaned. "Not sure if I should begin to question the choice of Elder Gods I'm doomed to work with. This is going to be a loooong eternity."_

 _"Suck it up buttercup. It's what our fathers expect of us."_

Back at the camp, N.C.R. reinforcements lead by General Oliver marched to the front gate and began to heave the Legion's deceased into a pile, with the N.C.R.'s fallen Ranger Veterans neatly laid out. Field medics carried William and Lyannah away from the camp and its dangers with stretchers; the two were barely alive. Cass, Veronica and Boone presented themselves to Oliver; he was furious but distraght when he found out that Redfield and David were both killed in action.

"The price of this battle was too much; I'd rather lose the Dam a hundred times over if it meant I could keep Redfield and Agent Wesker. Securing N.C.R.'s future is no easy task, for what it's worth our administration sends their deepest gratitude… and sympathies. Agent Wesker was a good soldier, and I can't even begin to describe the loss of Redfield."

"What'll happen now, sir?" Boone asked.

"The N.C.R. will clean up the mess the Legion made here and then we'll put our attention to the casualties. With Redfield gone I'll have to help the N.C.R. find its feet." Boone held Cass is his arms, she was distraught. "Just wish it didn't end like this."

From the dust behind Cass, Boone and Veronica was a figure, it was Redfield, making his way to Oliver. It was a miracle to his eyes to see Redfield, up and running. He strolled into the group like he belonged there.

"Redfield?!" Cass, Boone and Veronica peered over their shoulders. It was a miracle.

"Sir, you're alive!" Boone said, with his jaw wide open. "How?"

"I made a deal. Oliver, where are our casualties?"

Oliver hesitated, from the sudden joy of his compatriot being alive. He pointed to his right. "Over there."

"I want to see my son."

Two nearby Veteran Rangers brought David's body on a stretcher and stood in front of Redfield, presenting his lifeless body. Redfield placed his hand over David's face and rubbed his forehead, with a grieving posture it was hard for him to take in all at once. Mouth agape, blood slowly running out of his open wounds and power armour broken beyond repair, David's condition was just horrible. Redfield saw a lot of death before, but this gruesome sight tugged his heart strings. David's face was frozen with cold fear.

"This young man was my whole world. I cannot believe it… My heir and my successor. Dead… David was one of the finest men I ever worked with, a true soldier… now he's finally at rest with his mother." He took off his helmet.

"Redfield?" Oliver uttered, with concern.

"I want to see David with my own eyes."

Redfield exposed his face once again, to Oliver, Cass, Boone and Veronica. It was more than an honour to see the legend's face in person. Though his face hadn't aged a day over twenty, he looked very young, no wrinkles liver spots or any signs of old age. His jaw and chin were strong, his hair was auburn and full thick, complementing his hazel eyes. The new younger Redfield was the picture of youth, despite his service years, a right heartthrob came to mind, a dreamboat even.

"Redfield you look… young!" Oliver admitted, with a smile. "Great even."

"I don't feel any different." Redfield checked his reflection in his helmet's lens. He felt his nose, and mouth, he wasn't very surprised nor mad in his own right. His mind was clear, no Sarkis, no Auditor. Nothing. Just him and it was… normal. He felt normal. "I'm human... Fucking human."

Boone placed his hand over Redfield's shoulder. "Sir, are you okay? You seem strange."

"I made a deal to come back from the dead, but the price is MINE to pay. Let's leave it at that."

"What does that mean?"

"I have friends on the other side. Can we please move on? It's been a long day."

"Of course, Redfield."

"It's Wesker now. General Zachariah Wesker." He stared down at David's lifeless face. "Well, Son… this is where your journey ends. When you find your mother, send her my love and know that I…" He sighed heavily and nearly began to sob. "I love you, Son." He placed his helmet on David's chest. "It's been a bad day, Oliver. Bring our wounded and casualties back to the Dam." The Veteran Rangers went to take David's body away, but Zaac stopped them. "Could you leave my son here, with me, please? I want a moment alone."

"Anything for you... Wesker." Oliver whistled his men to collect the N.C.R. casualties out of the camp. "What do you want us to do with the Legate?"

Zaac's face ran red with anger. "Take that bastard's body to the Dam!" he growled. "I want that fucking monster burned at stake for all the people he tormented! I'm feeling like having a bonfire tonight anyway."

"At once Wesker." Oliver and the Veteran Rangers set David's body down at Zaac's feet and moved about the camp towards Lanius' campsite.

"Redfield?" Cass mumbled.

"It's General Wesker now, Cass." He knelt down to David's body. "I'm just a regular human."

"Human?"

"Could you three please make your way back to the Dam for debriefing. I need some time alone."

Cass reached out for Zaac but retracted her hand. Boone and Veronica took her away. "Come on Cass, let's go," Boone said, as all three of them left Zaac's sight.

"This world has seen so much shit over the last few hundred years, this country alone had its fair share. I'll redeem myself and atone for our actions one day, I swear it." He rubbed David's cheeks and brushed his hair softly. "Someday soon David, not today or tomorrow, but one day we'll be together again, like the old days. Now, though, it's time for me to move on and begin again as a new man." His voice softened, and he sang with heart, "Ever so gently, hear my voice. Ever so softly feel my touuuuuch! Always so gently, I walk… So got to sleep, my looooove." He sighed, reminiscently. "Remember that song, Son? Sleeping beauty… I have Manuela to thank for that beautiful melody. After all, you're only sleeping…"


	9. The speech

Less than an hour passed since the defeat of Caesar's Legion, still the day of the second battle of Hoover Dam. The day was still bright with the sun's rays blazing Hoover Dam's surface. The weather was just mild enough to have a nice stroll back to the dam after such a horrible battle full of death and decay; the walk was that long.

General Wesker stayed close to his dead son's body; four N.C.R. troops had to carry his stretcher, he was wearing a battered power armour at the time of his murder by Legate Lanius, so his corpse was too heavy for the regular two. There was a lot of traffic on the way back, but Zaac didn't mind, the people wanted to come back to their homes and families that were apparently on everybody's mind at the current moment. Husbands, wives, brothers, sisters and kids all alike were coming home.

Not this man, though, David died in the line of fire against one of the world's biggest tyrants of the Old World, a Horsemen of the Apocalypse not too long ago. Zaac took this moment alone to be with his thoughts of David. What memories could a father that outlived his entire family come up with before the speech? Yes, he has to make another speech, each battle needs one as a debriefing for all personnel.

David was an embodiment of a perfect man at the height of his age and health. A loving family, respectable career and excitement around every corner. What went wrong you would ask? Umbrella Incorporated. Their greed ended many innocent lives, and David was unfortunately just another casualty like many before him.

The Dam's visitor centre was in sight. Large white tents were set up across the road, courtesy of the Followers of the Apocalypse, a lengthy row took up the entire road all the way. It could take actual minutes to see where the row ends. Colonel Moore was seen setting safe parameters around the dam, mostly assembling troops to safeguard the area, to protect the injured and the doctors. The Followers were doing a good job bringing in the wounded to be treated. The problem with this predicament was they were almost all minor and primary wounds like gunshots, cuts and slight dismemberment or had to be sent home with full honours. Then there was the matter of Cass, Lyannah and Agent Haydock; their wounds were critical or worse.

Thankfully like a guardian angel, Julie Farkas was there at the scene labelling off the troops as they come through, she seemed to have her eyes focused on healing anyone and everyone as quickly as possible. She settled to keeping things orderly. Zaac approached Julie from behind, and over her shoulder, he noticed she hadn't even marked off a third of the troops on her clipboard.

Julie saw how stunning Zaac looked; she was his personal doctor, and she had never seen him so perfect. He was a new man. Before Julie was about to say something the four troops carrying David passed by, her wandering eyes then found the body they were moving. Julie's emotions fell south, her lips trembled, and her hands twitched. Then tears ran down her soft cheeks.

Zaac wondered for a second then General Oliver directed him away towards the staging area. He made sure that William, Lyannah and Cass get immediate treatment for their wounds from their best physician and get put into a separate tent away from the common troops. Suddenly swarms of N.C.R. citizens, personnel and troops began to fill the area by the stage, they were here for the speech. This just got in the way of their healing.

Colonel Moore left some troops to set a parameter around Hoover Dam to section it from the public and took centre stage, General Oliver took two metal folding chairs and set one on each side of Moore. Two microphones were being set up on the metal podium, one was to address the people viewing, and the other was to be broadcast on the N.C.R. radio for the N.C.R. settlements to hear.

The podium wasn't as good as the stocky wooden ones seen in pre-war courts, though this was a good speech about celebration and success and not about law and order dribble. With slow steps up to the stage all eyes focused on Zaac, it felt as horrible as always, people's views drift into judgemental stares of mixed emotions. Moore was perplexed with Redfield's new appearance, he was as young as herself and not the three-hundred-year-old man she fell for the day before.

With a sigh, Zaac waved off Moore's bewilderment and took the seat opposite Oliver to Moore's left, she took centre stage and was the first to draw a breath on the microphones. After some moderate feedback, she tested the quality and marched on with a long dreaded speech.

Colonel Moore's voice was as clear as it was up close in person, the microphones did their job. The individuals in the viewing area settled to hear the speech. "Ladies and gentlemen," she addressed. "Boys and girls. Brothers and sisters. I am Colonel Cassandra Moore, of the New California Republic. I wish to be the first member of the Council to congratulate all the fine service you all contributed to the cause of the protection of the Mojave and its ideals. What has been done today will never be forgotten as now the people of this exceptional republic can rest easy." She cleared her dry throat and licked her lips. "The defeat of Caesar's Legion will bring in a brighter future for the Mojave, and it's up to us to make it last. Now some words from our General Redfield."

The entire crowd of the viewing area cheered and clapped as Moore and Redfield swapped seats. Redfield smiled when he saw all the bright faces of the people he serves, that was the appreciation he always desired. He was their shield, and they are his soul. He cleared his throat and adjusted the microphones to his mouth's level. "Thank you for that Colonel Moore. Simmer down everyone, please..." The crowd's applause and praises slowly died and ended with the quiet sounds of murmurs and whispers. Redfield didn't have his helmet on so there was room for discussion. He picked up on that.

"Good evening to all N.C.R. citizens," he announced. "Ladies and gentlemen it would be my pleasure on behalf of all the Mojave and the people to honour and declare victory over the second and final battle for Hoover Dam. Victory is ours. Unfortunately, we cannot forget the bitter fact that what comes with great victory comes with an even greater defeat; a hefty loss has befallen our forces as the fatalities of the cause has increased by a significant portion compared to the last battle…" Zaac cleared his throat, the speech was going to be a long one, and his throat was already croaking. A problem with being human.

"There should be a lot of people here today that aren't… This final battle has cost the lives of many capable soldiers and citizens alike… even my own flesh and blood has been spilt by the enemy. In turn, the battle has also cost the life of one of our newly assigned Agents…" He frowned, "Agent David Wesker died to bring the battle to a close, and his team were almost lost amongst the chaos, but that's war for you. Real people doing their jobs for a noble cause, for the benefits of the people, and dying in the name of good and righteous." Tears started to form under his eyes, the talks of his son dying again just never makes it easy for him, he had to stay strong. He wiped the tears with a flourish of his hand and marched on. Then the sound of forced silence ensued.

"In light of the battle, this is a time for celebration, we'll mourn and weep for those we lost in our yearly memorials, and we'll honour their memories in melody. Caesar's Legion was at the peak of their strength when they enlisted the monster of the east as their new Legate. Legate Lanius was one of the biggest tyrants of the Old World, and his torment is at long last over! With all of our combined strength and support, we forced the Legion into a full-scale retreat across the Wastelands. As long as our forces hold the Dam, our people will never have to live in fear of terrorism." His tone of voice was going husky, needed to wrap it up soon or get a glass of water. Whatever first.

"To honour this feat, I hereby pronounce every March eleventh to be Ultima Equitis. A day off for everyone! To celebrate the day Legate Lanius died! As an additional treat, I declare an all-out staff party for all N.C.R. personnel at ALL locations!" The crowd began to talk among themselves, and some even began to cheer and whistle. He'd get the occasional cat-whistle from lucky ladies, and sometimes guys… That was weird.

"A personal sign of gratitude for all the support you fine people have given me as your General. In the defeat of Legate Lanius, the future will be a brighter one. My only regret was that the price tag for this victory was unsatisfactory. In the honour of our fallen, I vow to make the Wasteland great again. Next fortnight on Sunday the twenty-fifth, the N.C.R. will celebrate!" He leant forward closer to the microphone that broadcast over the radio, so they hear clearer and easier. "And if any fine people happen to be at the Dam at the time, they'll have the pleasure of partying the most with me. The staff party will be _legendary_ , just like me..." He cleared his throat again and stood back straight. "I'll arrange for registered lookouts for every settlement in case anything crashes the party, but I will make it fair for everyone." The sounds of the crowd began to fade again; they needed more.

"Did I mention that the staff party's expenses will be funded by yours truly? After all, what good is money if you don't spend it." The crowd cheered even more. Howling and tears of joy were seen in the masses. The smiles and beauty of the people's faces reminded Zaac who he fights for and what burdens he carries. Even though he failed aeons ago back in 2054, his spirit and determination for the sake of good cannot be broken. His eyes started to flutter with tears.

"This is General Zachariah Alphonso Wesker signing off. Have a nice day everyone." Zaac adjusted the microphone for the radio and left the podium and swapped seats with Oliver. The crowd cheered and whistled of hearing. Everyone in all settlements was probably cheering by now. During the switch before Oliver had to calm them down to an orderly sense. It's not every day the N.C.R. gets a staff party at Hoover Dam.

"Just for the record, the N.C.R. don't usually condone staff parties of this magnitude, though there's a first time for everything. But General… Wesker did forget to mention that we require a report and a status update from all the team leaders. Please hand them to him, Colonel Moore or myself within the next twenty-four hours. That is all; you are all dismissed." The crowd started to disperse in every direction. Some troops lingered around the staging area; some were still cheering and jumping about overhearing the staff party. Probably because it's free.

Zaac left the stage and waved away Moore and Oliver; they went straight back into the Dam. He headed back to Julie, she and the Followers were just disbanding back into their white tents shortly after the speech. They must've heard it before they got to work. Julie wasn't outside; she was personally treating Lyannah, William and Cass because she was one of the best physicians in the wasteland and a good friend of his.

He called for two Troopers to stand to watch outside; they weren't really doing anything other than staring into open space. The talk he was prepared to have wasn't one for everyone's ears to witness. After a short breath, he stepped into the tent and almost immediately his eyes were welcomed with the sight of the horrors of war, skimpy it may be compared to the wars he'd seen in his previous years it was a sight he always dreaded to see.

Bloodied, battered and broken soldiers, Lyannah and William were in critical condition. Cass wasn't too good either. They were tucked into beds and in a state of recovery with a machine next to them showing their current conditions. The worst was Lyannah, but they were on the road to staying alive.

Julie had her back facing Zaac; she was too focused on the written details on her clipboard. William had broken ribs and other bones with some bullet wounds scattered over his limbs, Cass got lucky with only a few broken ribs. Lyannah… Lyannah had bandages over her broken nose and hands. Her wounds were still bleeding, red bandages were seen in the medicinal bin. They were fresh.

By Julie was a metal table with fresh surgical tools resting on it, there was a bloody tray of used tools. The cabinet underneath looked like it was locked. There was no X-rays or proper equipment, the N.C.R. wouldn't have time to make the many trips it would require, and they got what they can get in the time they had. It was barely enough.

"How are they?" Zaac asked.

"Stable…" Julie uttered. "Six and Cass are recovering from the medication I gave them but… Lyannah's wounds were almost far too severe…"

"How severe are we talking?"

Julie took a quick read from her clipboard. "The bones and ligament in her right hand were destroyed, eight fractured ribs in her chest, an open wound in her stomach and her heart and liver are dangerously close to rupturing from their damage."

"What the fuck…?"

"A bullet had torn through her liver, and when she was brought to me, she had a bladed weapon thrust into through her chest. I thought she was dead on arrival, but I kept her blade where it was before I performed surgery."

"Will she survive?"

"She's in a coma for the time being… I did everything I can for her to live but only time will tell if she'll pull through. Six and Cass, on the other hand, will make a full recovery when the medication wears off. They need their rest."

Zaac placed his hands on Julie's shoulders and stood firmly. "You're a fantastic doctor, perhaps one of the best. You're too good of a person."

"That's a tall compliment."

"You deserve it, Julie. The Followers earned all my praise, and in return when the timing is right I'm going to present the Followers a personal gift of mine, and you a personal favour."

"What is the gift?"

"My one of a kind Auto-Doc. Fresh and brand new, completely free for Follower use." Julie stood in silence. She tried to smile but withdrew. "No words Doctor?"

"I should be excited right now but..." she sighed. She moved away Zaac's hands from her shoulder and turned around to him. She began to stare, and it was getting awkward.

"What? Have I got shit on my face?" he grinned.

"No… Up close your face is just…"

"Yeah… It's as beautiful as my voice. You saw my face before the speech. Didn't you?"

"I did, but I only caught bits and pieces of your speech before I got to work. There was one part I caught though about you being General Wesker and not Redfield. Who are you really?"

"Redfield was my wife's maiden name; I used it because of personal religious reasons… My real name is Zachariah Alphonso Wesker, as I said on stage."

"Guess I heard correctly then." Julie's eyes rolled away from Zaac's and down to her clipboard. Her lip was quivering still. "It's nice to see you're healthy…"

"Is something bothering you?"

Julie looked up. "What?"

"Something's bothering you, I can sense it. What's wrong?" Julie said nothing. She looked like she was going to, but there was no audio from her. Something was on her mind. "Julie," Zaac rested his hand softly on Julie's shoulder, "if there's something on your mind, please tell me."

Julie's silence ended "Some troops passed me earlier… they were carrying someone in power armour… I heard you mention someone during your speech and… well… I know it's none of my business as a Follower but…" She frowned, "Was the man in power armour David Wesker…?"

Zaac lost his grin, and his shoulders dragged. "Yes," he sighed. "Agent Wesker was one of the casualties."

"Was he a relative of yours?"

"Son."

Julie froze from the surprise of hearing Zaac's confession. Hearing that the dead man who looked less than a year younger than the young General was actually his offspring. It was impossible. "I missed that part… How is that possible?"

"Don't even go there, it's complicated as fuck."

"I will take your word for it. For what it's worth I'm sorry for your loss."

"As my therapist, you should know that I lost a lot more than my own son, and in time I'll have no trouble moving on. But thanks for your sympathies, they would mean a lot to him."

"What happened to him?"

Zaac sighed again. "Agent Wesker led a team towards the Legate's camp. At the cost of his life, the Legion was pushed into a massive retreat across the Wasteland, and in addition to that, they have lost one of their strongest Generals in the process. Agent Six, Lyannah, Mr Boone, Miss Santiego and Mrs Wesker were able to kill their General after his sacrifice."

"Mrs Wesker?"

"Cass," Zaac sighed. "She and David were married last Wednesday or Thursday."

"Good for them, it's nice to love blossoming but damn... So these three were part of his team then."

"Yes, they were. If it weren't for their support, he wouldn't have softened the Legate for them to finish off. As you can see they were lucky to be alive."

"I hope David's death was quick." Julie had no idea how wrong she was on that one. Zaac retracted his arm and started to tear up slightly, thinking of David's murder.

"I take it you known him?"

"He showed his face a few times at the Mormon Fort. Made a good impression. Asking if we needed help for no reward, just to help."

"That's how we raised him. I was so proud of him."

Julie wandered to a nearby table and left her clipboard on it next to a tray of surgical equipment. She rubbed her eyes. "He was Follower material… I was going to ask him to join… Now he's gone. Such a waste of human life. He didn't deserve to die now." She turned around and leant on the table and folded her arms tightly. "Why do bad things happen to good people?"

"For the sake of balance, and to test them, Julie. Things get worse before they get better. Listen I got schedules and rotas to make for the staff party and then I'm sure the Council has mountains of paperwork for me to file… I gotta go."

"It's time I get around to reviving the patients anyway. It was good talking to you, Wesker."

It wasn't easy being called that. Wesker was a child-murdering psychopath that wanted nothing but to have the rights to become a God, much like Dorian to David. They were close, though, they were father and son, no matter how much he didn't want it to be. Wesker's name was an insult but to honour the old motherfucker; it would be easier considering he used to be called his last name Redfield. Better to go by birth name than the name of a woman he once loved. To be reminded of her murder.

"You too Julie. I won't keep you. Good day."


	10. Ending epilogue

**END CREDITS**

Scene: Colonel Moore standing outside Lucky 38

MISTER NEW VEGAS (NARRATE)

The New California Republic celebrated its second victory at Hoover Dam, establishing definitive control over the entire Mojave and Capital Wasteland. Soon after, they negotiated terms to annex The Strip, Freeside and many surrounding communities. The Wasteland, at long last, had entirely fallen under the N.C.R.'s banner.

Scene: Ambassador Crocker shaking hands with Courier Six, with Lyannah stood at his side.

MISTER NEW VEGAS (NARRATE)

Courier Six and Lyannah, fair and evenhanded in their dealings throughout the Wasteland, was honoured by the N.C.R. for their support of military at Hoover Dam, sometime after they resigned. They were presented with the Golden Branch, the highest civilian decoration given by the Republic.

Scene: A grey scale photo from the early 1950s of Victor Romanov and James Marcus, outside a forgotten university.

MASTER VICTOR ROMANOV (NARRATE)

With all means to survive foiled by General Wesker, Victor had no communication to the outside world. Below the Lucky 38 is where the ancient CEO of the Neo-Umbrella Corporation will spend the rest of his days, alone and forgotten. Being driven insane from the degeneration of the Progenitor virus, his demise was a long one, ignored and neglected by all those who once cared for the famed Mr House of RobCo. It was a cold day on Death's door

Scene: Two Brotherhood paladins out patrolling the waste.

ELDER DOLAN MCNAMARA (NARRATE)

The Brotherhood and the N.C.R. in the Mojave declared an official truce, despite continued hostilities between the two in the west. As per the agreement, the N.C.R. handed out all suits of salvaged power armour, and in return, the Brotherhood helped patrol the I-15 and Highway 95. The truce is to be reinforced in the Capital, to then slowly bring order to the savage Wastelands.

Scene: Julie Farkas stood in front of General Wesker in the Old Mormon Fort.

DOCTOR JULIE FARKAS (NARRATE)

After the N.C.R.'s victory at the Dam, in part thanks to Follower medical support and services for N.C.R. personnel, they made a name for themselves to the N.C.R. Council. So much, in fact, they strongly urged to allow the Followers to care for refugees as they see fit. With the investments over the years from General Wesker, the Mormon Fort expanded its service and was able to give more, becoming a refuge for the less fortunate. Out of kindness and respect, General Wesker, donated his personal Auto-Doc, the last Nexus Incubator, and the gesture put the Followers back on the map.

Scene: The outside of the Prospector Saloon in Goodsprings.

DOCTOR MITCHELL (NARRATE)

Goodsprings saw more trading along the I-15 after N.C.R. gained control of the Mojave, but with what came a heavy burden to the Republic's taxes. The N.C.R. put Goodsprings under their supervision for many unknown reasons, what was certain is that the security and price of taxes were fair for its citizens.

Scene: An image of dinky the dinosaur of Novac.

JEANNIE MAY CRAWFORD (NARRATE)

Though Novac was a low priority target for the Legion, many of Novac's citizens died in its defence. In the weeks that followed several Bright Followers returned to Novac to help restore its defences, allowing it to remain independent of the N.C.R.

Scene: Julie Farkas stood outside Hoover Dam.

DOCTOR JULIE FARKAS (NARRATE)

Finding that David had perished during the second battle, it was no surprise that she was distraught over the way he suffered in his final moments. He was Follower material, and to that day she would never forget him for the sacrifices he selflessly made. Julie signed him off as a true Follower.

Scene: Colonel Moore kissing General Wesker under a large tree.

COLONEL CASSANDRA MOORE (NARRATE)

Shortly after the battle for Hoover Dam, both Colonel Moore and General Wesker announced their love for each other and wed the following week. Human life was too short. Life was full of difficulties, and without the feelings it brought with them, their love would never mean to be, and their future would never be tied together. Confidant, friend, lover... those words meant little now compared to the wife of the legendary General Redfield. Never took the Wesker name, but she never really needed to. That was certain. It was her choice.

Scene: Sunny Smiles shaking hands with General Wesker

SUNNY SMILES (NARRATE)

For the safety of Goodsprings, Sunny was thankful to see that the N.C.R. has won again, better them than the Legion she said. But with great victory came greater losses, Sunny was devastated to hear from the General that David was among the casualties, and with a tear, Sunny had only found out of from that she was his and David's direct descendant and heir to his fortune. Strangely, Sunny turned down her piece of the fortune and stated she had enough and lived it all already. General Wesker respected her decision and left Goodsprings, set away from her fortune for another day.

Scene: Arcade Gannon stood outside Freeside's gate.

ARCADE GANNON (NARRATE)

Arcade had hoped that Freeside would remain independent of N.C.R rule, but he was glad that Caesar's Legion was stopped from taking Hoover Dam. Arcade tended to the sick in Freeside a while longer in Julie's absence, then returned to N.C.R. territory to become a teacher with the Followers there. When he found out his colleague bit the big one, the good doctor mourned over the loss of David for days thereafter. In the dark tunnel, there was a light source. It was joyful to hear he had a potential fatherly figure in General Wesker's office, so it wasn't all sad. Arcade heard stories about his ancestor and his legacy in medical science, biology and virology; precisely a Dr Scott Wesker and began learning from his scattered pre-war notes that the old hermit hid away.

Scene: Craig Boone taking aim with his Hunting rifle.

CRAIG BOONE (NARRATE)

Looking for a place where he could be of some use, Boone re-enlisted with his old unit. Though his regrets remained in his thoughts, they coalesced into a purpose, and Boone embraced it. He spent his time hunting down slavers in the desert; his First Recon beret would be the last thing they never saw. With the advice taken from his compatriot David, was words of a similarly torn soul. Those words moulded Boone to move on, but with his death, it wasn't enough. General Wesker took interest into Boone's capabilities and offered to continue where his son left off. With his admiration of the General's feats, Boone accepted his help.

Scene: Sharon Wesker stood idle in the Mojave Desert.

SHARON WESKER (NARRATE)

Cass moved on from the caravan business for the time being and spent her days drifting outpost to outpost, scrounging for cheap drinks and parties. When rumours of a conspiracy lingering around Cassidy Caravans arose, Cass took action, with the help from Courier Six they uncovered a private deal that ended her career, plus many others. The case is currently being investigated by the N.C.R. authorities, despite her temptation to kill the perpetrators herself.

Scene: Sharon Wesker stood staring at Hoover Dam in the distance.

Cass lived to see the N.C.R. flag flying proudly over Hoover Dam and thought for a moment that this is what a hero felt like. Walking the Dam drunk, content and happy to be alive, she knew that was the point of it all. However, nothing could mask the realisation of losing David to the Legate, all the alcohol she drank could barely hide her true feeling of losing the only man she had enjoyed spending time with. Cass kept her gold wedding ring by her rose pendant around her neck; there was no real need to have David holding her back anymore, it was death 'till we part for a reason, and she remembered vowing that on their wonderful night of pleasure and lust. It was back to her old life for her now, alcohol and sex-fueled parties aplenty. Some thought she was in denial; others thought she was better than ever, however, in reality, she was conflicted with her feelings but was happy to have another reason to drink.

Scene: Veronica Santiego stood by a Brotherhood banner.

VERONICA SANTIEGO (NARRATE)

The peace with N.C.R. served to ease Veronica's worries about the Brotherhood's immediate future. Still, a distance has arisen between her and her fellow members that would never be bridged. Veronica began secluding herself in crumbling libraries of the Old World, learning of promised technologies she knew the Brotherhood would never adapt. Taking a page from David, the tech of the early 21st century peaked her interest of the pre-war lifestyle, the one she wished she saw for herself. David promised he'd take care of her but wasn't able to keep that promise; she wasn't mad, he died a hero and took care of the N.C.R. and their best interests. That was worth giving up a pledge.

Scene: Courier Six kissing Lyannah, in The Tops casino.

WILLIAM HAYDOCK (NARRATE)

William didn't overstay his welcome at Hoover Dam, though he stayed long enough to bask in the glory of the victory. William returned to the courier business after it began to soar in business, during the time he was recovering in the N.C.R.'s infirmary. Agent Six now back to being plain, old Courier Six, he kept Lyannah close by while he lived a rich yet stable life of drifting town to town. Six seen his fair share of war, losing David was one he could've done without. They were the same in most aspects, fighting for what's right, standing up for the weak, just for a better world. William raised his glass in his honour and continued his career with his new love, Lyannah.

Scene: Lyannah forging a bladed weapon at a workbench.

LYANNAH (NARRATE)

The victory at Hoover Dam was just another feat to chalk up to her Dragonborn legacy. Lyannah spent most of the trivial victory still learning of the means to survive the Wasteland, the magicka she surely relies upon dried up during the fight with the Legate, forcing her to stay longer than the expected. The information she took in may have been mostly from pre-war books, she never gave up on finding her way home, even going as far as bothering the ex-Demigod General Wesker… to no avail, it was pointless for now. With William at her side, the courier life wasn't a boring one, especially when she finally fell for his charm.

Scene: Lyannah conjuring fire from her fingertips.

Lyannah never forgot about her brushes with death; each one only made her stronger, the brush she faced during the fight with the Legate arguably being the worst one of them all. Karstaag, Miraak, Harkon, Alduin, that unknown Ebony Warrior and even her ex-wife Deena, all fell to her in the heat of glorious battles back in the land of Skyrim. Only this time not only barely survived a confrontation with Legate Lanius she had lost the friendship of an exceptional soldier. David wasn't her favourite person, but she risked her life to prolong his. Why? Maybe she held some feelings for him, or maybe because he was a good man like William and was willing to go the extra mile for the ones worth the extra effort. That's the life of a Dragonborn. Hard choices, excitement and even a side of challenge. The good life.

Scene: Zachary Wesker holding hands with his then girlfriend Claire Redfield, in the year 1997.

GENERAL ZACHARIAH WESKER (NARRATE)

Being over three hundred years of age, those years of experience just couldn't help Zaac move on from the tragic loss of David. Zaac already lost his life, career, future to War and now his lost son to Conquest. Zaac only just got over the depression, and with David gone his heart split in two, with half his days back in depression and the other leading the N.C.R., it left no time to recover. In the time after the second battle, Zaac sought Julie Farkas again to help him get over David's murder. Like getting over the deaths of his entire family, he eventually got over it, not without some sacrifices of his own.

Scene: Legate Lanius' body burning on a pile of burning wood.

Setting the end of the war between Neo-Umbrella and STARS, Zaac roasted Dorian Savage's body over an open fire and watched his flesh burn away to ash, leaving his bones and armour over the dying flame. All Horsemen of the Apocalypse were finally eliminated. The burning of the Legate's body sealed the end for the Legion. Rumours of Caesar and the remaining Legion forces went underground, to never be heard from. Those were proven true when all Legion settlements retreated leaving most of the Mojave empty.

Scene: General Wesker standing over a fresh grave.

To honour his son's sacrifice into ridding the Mojave of Conquest, Zaac made plans to erect a statue of David; it would have him in full STARS combat armour, holding up Legate Lanius' helmet with both hands, standing over at Hoover Dam. In weeks it was finished just by his grave, the plaque stated "The right man, woman or thing at the wrong time or place can make the difference our Gods and masters expect from us". That wasn't enough, in the time it took to make David's grave to send a message to all visitors, Zaac released a new form of N.C.R. currency in David's legacy, the help from William and Lyannah cannot be ignored either. A brand new $500 paper bill was released, with David on the bill's face and Lyannah and William featured on the back. Vowing all their efforts to be never forgotten.

Scene: The new $500 NCR bill.

Zaac Wesker put his new human life into restoring America, for the sake of being at peace with the sins he accumulated. To earn his life. This time he can finally let go and begin again. Like he did several lifetimes before in the days of the old. Only this time, he was truly alone. No voices inside his head, no Sarkis, no Auditor, just him. In a way, he was almost a free man, if it wasn't for his good nature.

Scene: Jesus Christ resting a long spear on Zackary Wesker's shoulder, in the Spirit World during the final days of 1998.

JESUS CHRIST (NARRATE)

Jesus wasn't too fond over Sarkis' sins of the day the Great War conspired, even deciding to send him to Limbo for the mistakes of his actions. Like him, he was crucified and forgotten by humankind, even slandered and taken for granted. Though, his failure against War, Jesus felt his fate was sealed. Too much time has been wasted, and using General Wesker to send a message to fix Sarkis' mistakes is a massive weight off the Elder Council's shoulders. Now focusing on bigger problems, Jesus had the utmost confidence that his loyal subordinate can indeed carry some extra weight, whereas his other half would face the consequences of his misdeeds.

Scene: A portrait of the Demigod Sarkis. Arms folded, black and white wings spread out.

SARKIS (NARRATE)

Not a day goes past where Sarkis doesn't regret his lack of foresight. Losing against War, unintentionally causing the death of millions maybe billions and even breaking the rules. He faced the music and took his harsh sentence on the chin. There was no sense of time in the realm known as Limbo. No feeling of hunger. Tiredness. Pain. Nothing. Everything that made a person feel alive was gone. For the first few days in the void, Sarkis' heart ached for Zachariah, then shortly after, he just started losing his mind. No soul was there to comfort him. No voices but his own. He accepted the bitter loneliness and just walked… He walked on and on and never stopped…

Scene: Auditor stretching out his arms as if they were wings, looking like a black butterfly. Solid black, crimson eyes full of rage. A brown, haziness was all around.

AUDITOR (NARRATE)

Auditor had a good run. Causing madness for the sake of madness, ending billions of lives with a smile, being praised as God. Having the Elder Gods oblivious to his actions was all thanks to Sarkis on that faithful day he was finally _eliminated._ Until it all fell apart, just because he relished a good fight. Conquest was too much for him and that's where everything went wrong. He felt the regret of leaving Phobos haunt him every second he spent in Pandora. The Faceless Ones weren't interested in Auditor, and spared him the mandatory torture, but as time was not a thing in the realm, he spent every day just waiting for something to turn up. Even the occasional kill or new arrival didn't pass time any quicker...

Scene: A pre-war picture of David Wesker holding hands with this then wife, Samantha Simpson next to a picture of him holding hands with Cass.

MISTER NEW VEGAS (NARRATE)

Now at peace, David rests with the rest of his family above the clouds, in the world beyond theirs. Peace and tranquillity, David's torment were over at long last. People come and go in life, like in the days of the old, but this was never a place for old men, only young men and old tricks.

 ** **THE END****


End file.
